Alpine Flower a Day: Large Mountain Daisy

Alpine Flower a Day: Day 14, Large Mountain Daisy (Celmisia Semicordata)

– daisy heads as big as my hand, lovely silver blades as leaves

– Dobson Track, Arthur's Pass in January - a feast of alpine flowers in December and January!

this time, she is walking the Dobson Track on a fine winter's day

and stopping to touch the wine-coloured tips of a tauhinu bush, and bending

to smell the strings of snowberry bells, and pausing

to peer at the pair of mountain daisies from this angle and

this light, and this time is

a birthday party, she's doing

the room, taking a floral plate of prunes

wrapped in pink bacon, offering

them to a tall man, who's tickling

the back of a woman's neck

with his breath, and bending down

amongst the circle of teens,

their heads of clean hair

shimmering with scented shampoo

as they lift their eyes from their phones, and nodding

she is exchanging pleasantries with the old lady

sitting up straight in her twinkling

white dress, and moving here and

there, around the room, gifting tidbits and

touching one group of small-talkers

then another, engaging as she sees fit

for she has plenty of time, for this

is just a second, this is

the time

If you're interested in the inspiration behind this month-long series of 'An Alpine Flower A Day' about NZ alpine flowers and poems, you can find more in my first post: An Alpine Flower A Day Enjoy!