New rose bushes arrive in midwinter
with flowery or unlikely names:
Rainbow Sorbet, Chicago Sun,
the potted palms and ferns welcome
newcomers with diplomatic silence
determined not to disturb
the less colorful peace of the garden.

Our customary, breezy midwinter
bathes and drinks in blustery sunlight;
Begonias, sixty Gladiolus
add their theatrical colors
to the long-settled shaded greenery,
careful with their pretty charm
not to upset the equilibrium.