Flower for the Day Globe Amaranth 11-2-27

> > We got our globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) from our nephew’s son decades ago. It has multiples names: Devil’s clover, > red globe everlasting, Makhmali, Vadamalli, St. Francis cord, Bachellor’s button and Thousand day red. The common name derives from the Greek amarantos for everlasting. > Who doesn’t love purple balls? > >  > > Its greatest joy is that it lives unmolested by the deer for over three months. >  > > We leave the flowers alone until they dry out and turn brown (Dec.). We then harvest them for the seeds for next years crop. > > Reaper > > As I drove north along a country road > on a gray autumn morning > I caught the look of a man on the roadside > who was carrying an enormous scythe on his shoulder. > > He was not wearing a long black cloak > with a hood to conceal his skull— > rather a torn white tee-shirt > and a pair of loose khaki trousers. > > But still, as I flew past him, > he turned and met my glance > as if I had an appointment in Samarra, > not just the usual lunch at the Raccoon Lodge. > > There was no sign i could give him > in that instant - no casual wave, > or thumbs up, no two-fingered V > that would ease the jolt of fear > > whose voltage ran from my ankles > to my scalp — just a glimpse, > the split-second lock of the pupils > like catching the eye of a stranger on a passing train. > > And there was nothing to do > but keep driving, turn off the radio, > and notice how white the houses were, > how red the barns, and how brown the sloping fields > > Billy Collins > > > >

Flower for the Day Globe Amaranth 11-2-27

We got our globe amaranth (Gomphrena globosa) from our nephew’s son decades ago. It has multiples names: Devil’s clover, red globe everlasting, Makhmali, Vadamalli, St. Francis cord, Bachellor’s button and Thousand day red. The common name derives from the Greek amarantos for everlasting. Who doesn’t love purple balls?  Its greatest joy is that it lives unmolested by the deer for over three months.  We leave the flowers alone until they dry out and turn brown (Dec.). We then harvest them for the seeds for next years crop. Reaper As I drove north along a country road on a gray autumn morning I caught the look of a man on the roadside who was carrying an enormous scythe on his shoulder. He was not wearing a long black cloak with a hood to conceal his skull— rather a torn white tee-shirt and a pair of loose khaki trousers. But still, as I flew past him, he turned and met my glance as if I had an appointment in Samarra, not just the usual lunch at the Raccoon Lodge. There was no sign i could give him in that instant - no casual wave, or thumbs up, no two-fingered V that would ease the jolt of fear whose voltage ran from my ankles to my scalp — just a glimpse, the split-second lock of the pupils like catching the eye of a stranger on a passing train. And there was nothing to do but keep driving, turn off the radio, and notice how white the houses were, how red the barns, and how brown the sloping fields Billy Collins