Delphinium
By Annette Gagliardi
tall blue stalks yearn
toward the sky –
intensity in blue with a shocking
white center
subtle scent inviting bees
into the steam of their fervor
after the rain, their bent
bodies weep petals
softly bruised
drawn to the sucking earth
which will be their final
resting place
even so
the bees swarm
to find the last of
nature’s nectar
Named Poet Laureate for the League of Minnesota Poets, 2025 to 2027, Annette Gagliardi has poetry in over fifty anthologies; has work published in several magazines online and in-print since the 1980’s. Ponderosa Pines: Days of the Deadwood Forest Fire won the PenCraft award for literary Excellence. Her first poetry book, A Short Supply of Viability was published in 2022 through the Poetry Box. Her chapbook, titled: Caffeinated, published through the Island of Wak-Wak has won the Literary Titan Gold Book Award for 2024 and an International Impact Best Book Award in April of 2025. She has just won the John C. Rezmerski manuscript award, for her book, Benevolence which will launch in April of 2026. website: https://Annette-gagliardi.com