The Iris: A Quadrille

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Bloom is the prompt word for today's dVerse quadrille. 

Write a quadrille (a poem of EXACTLY 44 words, not including the title) AND include the word “bloom” or a form of the word within the body of the poem. A synonym for bloom does not fulfill the prompt. It must be the word “bloom”, or a form of the word, for example “bloomed, or blooming or bloomin’”.

The bearded iris started blooming last week.

Purples first, then the orange.

“Mango Passion” it’s called.

Fancy!

My purples were free off a curb.

They are the nameless mutts of the garden.

Beautiful none the less,

like the proverbial rose

by any other name.

©2026 Lisa Smith Nelson. All Rights Reserved  

Mango Passion



Comments

  1. lillianthehomepoet.wordpress.comMay 4, 2026 at 1:24 PM

    Oh my.....have never seen an orange iris much less a Mango Passion iris! LOVE the name...love the poem. Thanks for posting!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaMay 4, 2026 at 1:35 PM

      A friend gave me a division of Mango Passion. She's given me lots of iris and daylilies when she divided them. I also find them on curbs where people put them for free and division.

      Delete
  2. CaraMay 4, 2026 at 1:34 PM

    Perfectly written! Sometimes the bewst things (ok all the best things) in life are free! As a fellow flower planter and gardner i love tossing seeds into the garden and see what happens, this poem definitely resonated with me! Nice job!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LisaMay 4, 2026 at 1:36 PM

      I have an area in my back yard I call the Toss Garden, which started with tossed seeds and seed heads I'd cut off! For a few years it was solid black-eyed Susans.

      Delete
  3. Ron.May 4, 2026 at 2:37 PM

    Mango Passion, eh? New to me, too. Thanks for the share

    ReplyDelete
  4. lynn__May 4, 2026 at 5:53 PM

    My mother grew irises...white, purple, lavender. The mango passion are lovely too! Thanks for the scent of memories :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. D. AveryMay 4, 2026 at 5:54 PM

    Those mango passion irises are pretty cool, but I tend to favor the reliable "mutts of the garden". Hey, I bet they'd look great together.

    ReplyDelete
  6. PaulaMay 4, 2026 at 6:25 PM

    Beautiful poetry and blooms!

    ReplyDelete
  7. PaeansunpluggedMay 4, 2026 at 7:41 PM

    Irises of all shades look pretty, a lovely nod to their homely beauty.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kim M. RussellMay 4, 2026 at 11:50 PM

    They may be the ‘nameless mutts of the garden’ but I love them, Lisa. We only seem to have yellow and white irises around here. And I agree, Mango Passion – fancy!

    ReplyDelete
  9. brudbergMay 5, 2026 at 1:07 AM

    I always love the wild varieties more.... those special ones are nice, but somehow nature makes it better (and stronger)

    ReplyDelete
  10. ben AlexanderMay 5, 2026 at 11:45 AM

    Lisa, I like how you call the curbside irises “nameless mutts,” because it makes their beauty feel humble and real 🌸

    Much love,
    David
    SkepticsKaddish.com

    ReplyDelete
  11. Kim GloverMay 5, 2026 at 7:39 PM

    Iris is my fave fave fave flower! I have had it at all my weddings (3, don't judge). But I think the purple are the royalty, not the nameless mutts! Nonetheless, your poem did iris justice, and I treasure it.

    ReplyDelete

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