genus umbelliferae
hand-shaped
wanting
fists of
queen anne’s
lace
fold instead
of unfold
close instead of open
grasping into fists
tight and dry
seeds hooked
with spines
the color of old lace
faded
clutching the memory
of what they were
in their verdant
prime
palm
that telltale
carmine dot
at the flower’s very center
where plant gleaned
its common name
veering from latin
daucus carota
wild carrot
wild
perhaps queen anne
was wild in her
very own way
the red dot
said to be
blood
let loose
from a pinprick
when she was tatting lace
