Fig-Lover
I could be your sweet girl
alive with groundwater,
my narrow passage
wasp friendly and edible.
One day you will find
my hollow ended stem;
a plethora of tiny flowers
heaving like an offering
from the heavens. Do not
flinch; I will blossom upon
the opening of your mouth—
bursting like a galaxy of stars.
Carol Lynn Stevenson Grellas lives in the Sierra Foothills. She studied at Santa Clara University where she was an English major. She is a nine-time Pushcart nominee and seven-time Best of the Net nominee. In 2012 her chapbook Before I Go to Sleep was selected as a winning chapbook in the Red Ochre Chapbook contest and in 2018 her poem ‘A Mall in California’ recently placed 2nd for the Jack Kerouac Poetry Prize. She is the author of several chapbooks along with five full-length collections of poetry including Epitaph for the Beloved soon to be released from Finishing Line Press. She is the Editor-in-chief for The Orchards poetry journal and a member of Saratoga’s Authors Hall of Fame. She is also a member of The Sacramento Poetry Center Board of Directors. www.clgrellaspoetry.com