Wood Violet
by Paul J. Willis
(Viola glabella)
Yellow wood violet,
I don’t deserve you.
Does anyone?
The way you line
both sides of the path
above the creek,
leading upward
from shade to sun,
makes me think of you as
ushers to a new redemption.
Each spring, a second chance.
And a third. And a fourth.
—Ross Lake National Recreation Area