Sunny Samarra
light reflected, light absorbed
color aids navigation
and provides concealment
one lies in wait
for those who come
to feed on nectar
and carry off pollen
Death's representative
in bright and cheery guise
this harbinger waits, hidden in plain sight
making it hard to tell food from foe
or Baghdad from Samarra
This is the first pairing in Confluence, a series of poems written in response to original photographs.
I began writing these during the pandemic, using the pictures I was making at the time. I have continued this practice ever since, always writing in response to my most recent images.
I publish a new Confluence every new moon and every time the luminary dyad perfect a trine.