See where the petals     blue and black
nuzzle each other’s curves
curves that fit together
like hill and sky  

Larkspur offers stems that bear
weight     hold hollyhock
to earth    encourage hedonism
of leap and gambol     pulsate
and shiver
when wind strikes  

Hollyhock brings a starfish-
shaped galaxy in layers of algae
rosette    cloud     blaze
steadies center
for larkspur’s entry
into its umbra and flash 

There is a moment     in between
where a tendril of shiraz
curls into shadow—
a crepuscular pause
before the delusion of two
             shatters                        
                          into shards of night