A poem by the Dutch poet Victor Vroomkoning

Poppy

Orange-red crêpe paper round

a cobweb duster on a stem

of grey-white hair, it stands

ablaze, aflame. Groaning

and tearing in the wind,

its skins hang in tatters,

you find shreds left over.

The seed is blown away

from within to help you

to another world, only to

return twice as profusely, to

set fire to verge and flowerbed

where as a shower of sparks cock-rose

family does her best

to resemble it.

For a pdf version of the collection from which this poem has been taken, go to here