What Would Grow in Hitler's Garden?
by Mary Makofske
Not what you think—no
foxglove, monkshood, chokecherry,
oleander, deadly nightshade, angel’s trumpet.
No hemlock. No yew.
A dozen varieties of tulip
flaunting bright chalices,
then peonies with pastel
ruffled skirts. Roses
scarlet, blush, canary yellow,
purest white, but only the most
fragrant, intoxicating,
and daisies, snapdragons,
a full palette of colors
delighting the eye of the would-be
painter who cedes to them the task
of filling the world with color.
He revels in excess, extravagance,
bounty, but tolerates no
wildflower or weed.
His gardeners uproot
whatever does not fit his plan.
The secret to making the garden
rich, he believes, is ashes.
But who can control the urge to life?
See how they break through soil, those hands
thrusting up to reach for light.
foxglove, monkshood, chokecherry,
oleander, deadly nightshade, angel’s trumpet.
No hemlock. No yew.
A dozen varieties of tulip
flaunting bright chalices,
then peonies with pastel
ruffled skirts. Roses
scarlet, blush, canary yellow,
purest white, but only the most
fragrant, intoxicating,
and daisies, snapdragons,
a full palette of colors
delighting the eye of the would-be
painter who cedes to them the task
of filling the world with color.
He revels in excess, extravagance,
bounty, but tolerates no
wildflower or weed.
His gardeners uproot
whatever does not fit his plan.
The secret to making the garden
rich, he believes, is ashes.
But who can control the urge to life?
See how they break through soil, those hands
thrusting up to reach for light.
Mary Makofske’s chapbook The Gambler’s Daughter was published by The Orchard Street Press in 2022. Her latest full-length books are World Enough, and Time (Kelsay, 2017) and Traction (Ashland Poetry, 2011), winner of the Richard Snyder Prize. Her poems have appeared in journals including Poetry East, American Journal of Poetry, Southern Poetry Review, Talking River Review, Crosswinds, and The Stillwater Review, and in 20 anthologies. Find her online at: www.marymakofske.com
A 2024 Pushcart Prize nominee, Mary's poem can be found in Issue 26 of Glassworks.
A 2024 Pushcart Prize nominee, Mary's poem can be found in Issue 26 of Glassworks.
