How is poetry like mullein?

What’s mullein, you ask? Rosette-forming summer blooming plants which set up dramatic spikes with five-petaled, circular flowers. With age, the spikes take their twists & turns. Dramatic and beguiling. A narrative plot of shape? Shape recognizes; the physicality of a poem informs meaning. Twists accumulate as the plant matures, as gravity has its will.

I often wonder the impact of gravity on a poem. Perhaps, a later consideration.



Now, consider the shape of food – its unexpected & appreciated twists & turns. Once this was dubbed “architectural food.” Food/word – all is in construction. & the surprise.