Summary

In “The White Rose,” the titular flower speaks, addressing a figure it sees in a window. It states that it does not belong on Earth and “won't last / beyond the first summer” (47). It asks the figure in the window to explain life to it. The figure disappears and the rose wonders if this is a sign that they too cannot survive on Earth or if they do not wish to be addressed.

In “Ipomoea,” an ipomoea plant addresses an unknown audience, lamenting its brief existence and stating that “all / earthly beauty [is] my punishment” (48). It asks the human why they have taken some of its flowers, suggesting they did so “to mark me as a part / of my master” (48).

In “Presque Isle,” an unknown speaker, likely Glück, recalls a memory of being in a room. There was a dish of apricots on...