Alan Toltzis
Cutting Jasmine
Open edges weeping,
clutter of bud, leaf, and twig
scatter across walkways,
while a clatter of outcry spits fitfully
from the mouth of a leaf blower,
gusting dust and grit into swirls
of tangled sweetness and gas fumes,
cuts and nicks already blending in.
After a lifetime in Philadelphia, Alan Toltzis lives and writes in Los Angeles.