Tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima)) begins to appear in late summer and early fall. It displays small, bright yellow flowers in dense clusters on top of tall stems.
Solidago, is Latin for Solidus and means" to make whole." This references the plant's healing properties. Native Americans used this plant for medicinal purposes.
Lately I have enjoyed Zigzag Goldenrod (Solidago flexicaulis). Its name comes from its stems which seem to
zigzag from the leaves.
It is a very forgiving plant and tolerates poor, dry soils, clay, and drought.
Goldenrod
If I don't say it
someone will: the wind
blows through the goldenrod
like death flows through a crowd.
I watch it from a distance
as the whole field lifts and stirs.
Close up, it holds the promise
of a less than perfect world.
I knew the thing
before I knew its name.
Now all I know
is what the name infers:
a life of pure sensation
or the rod some angel brings—
announcing a momentous
death or birth, each face
expectant, brightly-lit.
I say the name and what it means
until the meaning blurs.
The wind blows through the goldenrod
like death flows through a crowd.
Nothing is accomplished
and the world is changed by it.
Ian Parks
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