thistle

Thistle’s Gaze

in a blink
thistle eyes look
through lavender lashes

having cleared the field
of thistle and thorn
a full belly-ed rest

tiny adventurous time travelers
dug in, in flight or hitching a ride
protectors of the ecosystem

amidst the prickly places
filaments of tenderness
keep calling for touch

butterfly
on the thistle
the soft atop the bristle

sometimes
in winter
time does wait

they relied
on each other
for texture and tone

at her command
buttercup and thistle’s
pomp and circumstance

in the wind
whistling
as water passes

purple prickers
gentle to
the bees

snow threads
through thistle needles
quilting winter

each needle of the thistle seeks
the thread that holds us together

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