Wild Iris by Robert Rothman | Streetlight Magazine

Photo of violet irises — Photo by Olga Mandel on *Unsplash*

I am like that now, a green stem that will

bend, not stay ground. Push my head into

the down, blind me dirtily, put a heel on

the back, rub the reject in, confound the chances,

step on, dance the stomping jig, bite,

incise, nibble and tear, do the most with

your worst. Would-be destroyers, all the same:

Count not the reservoir of recuperation

the underdog, underfoot, underlooked powers

we flowers have. Born in the wild we wild

will be. Wild as wily, wild as wiry,

wild as wise. Wait for the tramplers and

stampers to pass. Come see us in the aftermath:

green stems lift like light, violet

petals shake out the pleats: wild glory.

Robert Rothman lives in Northern California, near extensive trails and open space, with the Pacific Ocean over the hill. His work has appeared in Atlanta Review, Meridian Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, Tampa Review, Willow Review, and over seventy-five other literary journals. Please see his website (www.robertrothmanpoet.com) for more information about him and his work.