We had a serious snowstorm – for southern New Mexico – last week.  The Superintendent of Schools didn’t think it was bad enough to close schools, with the result that there were five or seven children in classes that officially numbered 20.  They ended up closing early.  Two days later, everywhere the sun could reach had melted.  The shady areas took a few days longer.

I went out to see how the garden had fared in the snow.  The parsley was very happy.  parsleyThe rosemary decided it’s time to start blooming.rosemary flowerI decided to bring a few branches indoors to add some green to my study.  rosemary in vaseI hadn’t thought about how much rosemary looks like an evergreen tree until I started working with these close-ups.  It’s leaves are like fir or spruce.  And I found one source on odors of herbs in cooking, which calls rosemary “piney.”   Looking at the vase of rosemary in my study, I started playing with these ideas.

An untitled work in progress

What’s rosemary to you?  When Ophelia
said “remembrance” I pictured
a soft leaf to brush against the cheek,
not this sturdy stiff-needled bush.
This kind of memory stays green,
refuses to go away, an ugly scene
replaying from an old movie.

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