Flowerage – 6th May 2026

~ shaun tenzenmen

Covered in its perfume
Splits along the blush
Tender age in bloom*
Blues buried the crush
Seeds outgrew the rind
Bitter harvests follow pursuit
Tasted its sweetness blind
Bruises on the fruit*
Core outlasts the bite
An acerbic birthday suit
Succumbed to the blight

Written for dVerse Quadrille – bloom. Based on two lines from Nirvana’s In Bloom*. ‘Flowerage’ in honour of the Descendents.

Today’s Daily Stoic poem:

Righteousness Is Beautiful

There are many tricks to showcase beauty
But it’s a deception in which to trust
Choose and even keel, a commitment to duty
Even-tempered, self-controlled, and just

15 thoughts on “Flowerage – 6th May 2026”

  4. I find your poem Flowerage fascinating! I’ve truly read it 4 times now and each time, I “feel” a different interpretation. I guess that’s what happens when we put our poems to print…they’re no longer ours and each person responds, applying their own conceptions and backgrounds to the poem.

    I read it as a citric fruit (the rind) at a “flat” very basic level….and I read it as a young love affair that’s left a lasting effect on the person, even though the love has moved from a tender crush, to the pursuit, to bitterness, to bruising, to a lasting effect on the core. Have no idea which way, or even if these two readings, are what you had in mind when writing it. But for me, it’s a strong write that I keep coming back to and examining! I think that must be a sign of excellent writing!

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    1. Thanks so much Lillian 🙏

      What you describe is, indeed, what I had in mind. Perhaps even a little stronger, describing men’s obsession with the youngest freshest flowers.

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