Cattleya - A Magpie Tale

Photo of the red chair offered as a prompt for the writing group by Tess Kincaid on The Mag.

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Cattleya is a genus of 113 species of orchids from Costa Rica to tropical South America. The genus was named in 1824 by John Lindley after Sir William Cattley who received and successfully cultivated specimens of Cattleya labiata that were used as packing material in a shipment of other orchids made by William Swainson. The genus is abbreviated C in trade journals.

Cattleya

You moved the red chair
to that wrecked and empty room
doing your penance
in the wet wan light
of this afternoon.

The gray
of today's heavy
weather has served us
providing solid background
for this one moment
of truth before you
run off after them, your quest
of vengeance, orchid
of the hot house land,
of the holy men and me.

Your scent is strong on my skin.

I sat in your chair
for a time after
you wrapped your things in chamois
and placed the crimson
above your gray eyes.
Try as I might, I can't grasp
it that you will leave.

This is the last time.

November 25, 2012 9:49 AM