As I pondered the wisteria,
an older gentleman stopped to talk.
He wanted to know what plant it was,
and I told him what I knew.
He asked about the color, and added
that he did not think it was purple.
We gazed upon it together.
"What color do you think it is?" I asked.
"Lavender," he responded, and then added,
"I must tell my sister about this color.
She is 80 - a ceramic artist."
I encouraged him to smell,
for the scent was quite beautiful and within reach.
As we said our good-byes,
I noticed that his smiling wrinkled face,
framed with faded reddish-blonde hair,
reminded me of an aging sunflower.
I like to think of him
happily planning a visit with his sister
to tell her of a color he discovered
on a brightly lit Monday afternoon.
image: San Leandro, March 16, 2026
