Here in southwestern Ontario, the normal blooming time for Sweet Woodruff is from May to June. The late September frost is no longer miles away, but here it is, a small four-pointed star holding onto the hem of the season.
She absolutely is a little warrior! September is a massive stretch past her usual June finish line, making those tiny flowers a true testament to how hardy the plant is. For a delicate-looking groundcover, it clearly has a lot of grit to hold its own against the giants in our garden.
Ground-Level Geometry
You exist in the ankles of giants.
Beneath the heavy-headed goldenrod,
the towering spires of the late-season crowd,
you are a quiet arithmetic:
four clean points
holding open a pocket of white space.
The calendar forgot to dismiss you.
While the big species hustle for the last of the light,
broad-leaved and loud,
you sit close to the dark soil,
an accidental constellation
dropped into the weeds.
They do not see how you anchor the ground.
A tiny, four-way compass
pointing entirely to your own survival,
breathing a faint, hay-sweet scent
into the crowded, competitive air.
A minor rebellion
cast in milk and starlight.
’Til next time, y’all…
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