I say hello to the freshly opened rose 
that leans toward the walkway. 

She extends her scent to me; 
Lovely to meet you, I’m Rose. 

I decide not to ask about 
the nick on one ear, compliment 

her instead on the pink outlines 
that edge each petal. Thank you, 

she replies in the language 
that invented yellow. 

Tamara Madison

is the author of the chapbooks The Belly Remembers (Pearl Editions) and Along the Fault Line (Picture Show Press, 2022), and three full-length volumes of poetry: Wild Domestic and Moraine (Pearl Editions, 2011 and 2017) and Morpheus Dips His Oar (Sheila-Na-Gig Editions, 2023). Her work has appeared in A Year of Being Here, Chiron Review, ONE ART, Shelia-Na-Gig, The Worcester Review, Writer’s Almanac, Your Daily Poem and many other publications.

Author’s website:
https://tamaramadisonpoetry.com