Delightfully Defeated

 This poem began on what was going to be a quick walk home from the mechanic,

just a few country-lanes away, but

turned into a stroll of sweet summer-seduction

You win I say to the blade of grass all liquid-glass bejeweled

You win I say to the lily-lamp by quadrillion sun-watts fueled

You win I whisper to Queen Ann’s Lace that gilds the field of wheat

You win I sigh to the upturned face of any bloom I meet

To the bird that tweets from the lofty sheaf

To the herd that grazes on thistle and twitch

To the sun-ray snared on a rim of leaf

To manifold marvels that charm and bewitch

You win I say to the dirt-road-lure that dangles from the sky

You win I say to the curl of vine that tangles with my sigh

You win I whisper to freckled grins and cherub-chubby cheeks

You win I laugh to love’s Autograph where brand new morning breaks

To the hummingbird as it hover and darts

To the undeterred wonder of bud to bloom

To July’s invincible thief of hearts

To the curious mechanics of the spud-loom

You win I say to the hollyhock stalk dressed in pretty pink

You win I say to the way a day can spill oceans of ink

You win I cede to the russet reed drinking the shallows dry

You win, I admit to the butterfly, cloud-schooners drifting by

To hazy, lazy afternoon rain

To the daisy; he/she loves me, loves me not

To the waves that wash through a field of grain

To wishes come true in a vegetable-plot

You win I say to the clay pot hosting sprig of lavender

You win I say to the rain-drop mirroring in miniature

You win I whisper to translucent leaf splayed against the sun

You win I weep where lyrics hound until a poem is spun

You win, you win, yes, you win, and you win,

I say to sweet summer’s splendour of the earth

You win, you win, yes and you win again

As another hymn of sheer gladness gives birth

© Janet Martin