On Occasion
by Grace Paley
I forget the names of my friends
and the names of the flowers in
my garden my friends remind me
Grace it’s us the flowers just
stand there stunned by the mid-
summer day
A long time ago my mother said
darling there are also wild flowers
but look these I planted
my flowers are pink and rose and
orange they’re sturdy they make
new petals everyday to fill in
their fat round faces
suddenly before thought I
called out ZINNIA ZINNIA
ZINNIA along came a sunny
summer breeze they swayed and
lightly bowed so I said Mother
Always her witty critical novel self Grace Paley explores her
extra terrestrial borders and extends her nature to a new
more than garden variety poetry.