Hail the scissor-fingers spiked with sunlight,
azureous emerald armor, diminutive yet durable,
understory of giants: live oak/bald cypress/longleaf pine.
Hear wind-sound like rustling paperback covers.
Sabal minor endures wet or dry, sandy or loamy,
virgin forest/swamp/lowland/flood plain/suburban sprawl,
dawdles to burgeon—underground stalks with bountiful leaves,
unless in standing water, where it sprouts a truncated trunk.
A lady’s fan, as tall as me, displays pale pollinator-favored flowers,
leaves that braid/basket-weave/thatch/doll-make,
purple-black fruits devoured by robins and raccoons.
Here’s to the smallest and hardiest of palms!
