The Housing Estates with Royal Poinciana Killed Off the Groves

Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse modern poem contemporary poem 

Vast realms of orange groves spread out across

The sands of Florida.  Uncounted trees

Became the kings and queens.  A dark green gloss

Grew robes for them.  These royals stood at ease

In aisles of leaves with orange and fragrant white

As majesty for coronation set.

They did not see the grid, encroaching blight

With royal poinciana dotted, yet

Destruction came, the tracts of houses came

And came.  Occasionally the flaming blooms

Of poinciana burned inside the frame

Of residential housing’s human rooms.

  These houses and the single flames beside

    Them doomed the groves.  It was a fatal glide.

~ Phillip Whidden