Hope Peeps Eternal Thanks to the Persistent Crocus

“Where flowers bloom so does hope.” This quote by Lady Bird Johnson, who championed environmental conservation and wildflower beautification, always stuck with me. Crocuses pushing up from the snow (or bare ground) promises renewal. The spring equinox is almost upon us. Here’s a poem to mark the coming season.

Most people seek some kind of hope to hang onto. The alternative means sinking into despair. The myth of Pandora’s opened jar speaks of ills unleashed on the world, with hope trapped at the bottom. This simple flower reminds us to reach for a state of mind that might sustain us.

You may be wondering why “fauve crocuses”? I love purple crocuses with a touch saffron color, as they remind me of a brief but intense art period: Fauvism (1904–1908). Artists like Henri Matisse and André Derain—known as “les Fauves” (wild beasts)—exploded on the art scene using intense color and unconstrained brushwork. That’s why I refer to crocuses as “shoe-level color roars.”

Luxury, Calm and Pleasure (below) by Henri Matisse, is representative of Fauvism, with its use of complementary colors and bold strokes.

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A veteran of Time Inc. and Dotdash Meredith (People Inc.), Catherine Hamrick is the author of The Tears of Things: Poems (Madville Publishing). The poem “Fauve Crocuses” appears in the “Spring” section.

Hamrick’s poetry has appeared in Appalachian Places, Appalachian Review, The Blue Mountain Review, The Citron Review, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, storySouth, and elsewhere.

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