The Queen of Himalayan Flowers




She wears a crown of sapphire blue
Among the fields of green and gold
She rules the slopes with grace and hue
A sight for pilgrims to behold

She has a secret in her heart
A prickly nature and a power
She can heal the head or harm the whole
A double-edged and potent flower

She is the queen of Himalayan flowers
The meconopsis aculeata
She blooms in monsoon's rainy hours
A rare and splendid beauty of nature

The blue poppy, a flower of dreams
A gift from the gods, or so it seems
With opiates hidden in its petals
It soothes the mind and gently settles

The goddess Demeter, in sorrow and pain
Lost her daughter to the underworld's reign
She wandered the earth, in search of a clue
Until she found the poppy, with its calming hue

She drank its nectar, and fell into a trance
She saw her daughter, in a fleeting glance
She smiled and wept, and felt a relief
The blue poppy, a flower of grief.
                     ***