Oleander / Πυĸροδáɸνη
By Leon Silver

Bright parades of white rose and red
Lining dry river beds and roadsides
Spiky lance-shaped leaves deceiving
Imitating olive but toxic and bitter
colouring the ravaged land

Pikrodaphne Nerium
Arodaphne Rosebay Dogbane
Many aliases can’t hide your identity
Now it’s clear you’re not what you seem
You’re marching us to nowhere

August 2020

Nerium / Nήρɩον – A shrub or small tree cultivated in temperate and subtropical areas as an ornamental and landscaping plant, considered poisonous.

The Oleander is a metaphor for rival nationalisms.