Evening Blues

THE sun has quit its place as garden's lampand shaded still, within these granite wallsdull navy shadows stretch like hands to grablast buds and blooms. As pewter twilight fallsdelphiniums that kept so quiet by dayare insects' night clubs now, abuzz affray.

Two chalk hill blues revived by icy drafts

waltz bright along a dappled slaty path

while mauve and cobalt pansies watch fixed-faced

and hosts of frrail-stemmed cornflowers blow and bow.

But damasked roses, pink and proud by day

close up and shrink to shades of midnight grey.

And yet the sapphire rose so false in light

turns really blue in coming tones of night.

Mary Charman-Smith