By: Helen Gavoe

Red pods hanging from the rafters.
When they finally bloom,
Will they fill the room with crimson perfume,
Salmon lining exposed like a spreading vulva,
Blood red freckles trailing down from the scarlet core?
Vermillion stigma awaiting pollination,
Anther sparks of scarlet waving atop fragile filament,
Enticing red rockets to penetrate the hidden ovary,
Fertilizing ovule completing the rose red cycle of life.