Consider the Bougainvillea

Consider the bougainvillea's
Unrivaled ironic beauty.
The thorny vine bursts with green leaves and
Wafer thin purple blossoms.
Lovely, splashed from palette,
Growing tall and too heavy,
Weighted, arcing over trellis and
Invading neighbors.
But the paper flowers,
Gentle, baroque,
Do not cling long or tightly to their woody hosts.
A slight wind or brush will loosen them,
Snapping silently,
Twirling to the ground,
Blown about into families of magenta,
Skipping into waiting water and pools,
Floating like lilies.
Absorbing chemicals,
The colorful bracts bleed their pigment,
Turning pale white,
Invisible,
Invading skimmers and filters,
Sticking to tiles,
Causing unceasing
Ugliness and havoc.

© Poem Fix http://www.poemfix.com 2012
Photo by User:Mattes