Last Stand

As the composer
of a slim volume
of obscure verse,

I have been asked
by my sponsor,
who has seen a gap
in the market
for the straightforward
expression of torment
and other tragic
manifestations of the heart,

to write a story
with blockbuster potential
about battles, wounds,
wolves trying to raise
viable cubs…

and received a bouquet
of roses and daffodils
as an inducement.

I fill a receptacle,
stir in a packet
of preserving agent,

shorten the stems
and consider

the significance
of hot house summer
and spring yellow
with evergreen foliage

in the same
persuasive arrangement.