Heather Saunders Estes

These amazed me when we first moved out to the west. I find them beautiful and a bit humorous. Almost gone from my neighbor’s yard as the weather becomes Autumn in earnest, but August is their moment and all eyes are on them.

Naked Ladies

A burlesque of pink lilies, stand erect,
stems leaf-less, unashamed, rebellious,
like Lady Godiva—except for the standing part.
Thirty or so lilies rise from dead-looking earth
to simultaneously flower.

The backyard lot two houses away is bare dirt.
The owner pulled up blackberries and weeds.
Still nobody goes out there.
Except the Naked Ladies, Amaryllis Belladonna.
Also called a resurrection lily
magic lily, mystery lily, upstart lily.
Jersey lily, surprise lily. Easily conflated
with another pink lily —Lycoris squamigera.
Even garden catalogs get the two confused.
These from South Africa, the others from China.
Both stand unclothed
swaying gently to their own tune.

The Naked Ladies from Africa
thrive in our California coastal climate.
Makes sense.
It is easier to get naked here.