Black Lotus Villanelle Lotus rising out of South Side water & night
Gifting the world with your brilliant fruitful flower
We marvel at your beauty, bless your seeds with light
You bloom ivy league that is, grow tall in their sight
Defying every shallow pond with fierce power
Lotus rising out of South Side water & night
Your floral family hails from a deep southern plight
Ancestors fertilize the A. M.E. church hour
We marvel at your beauty; bless your seeds with light
For three days your petals bloom gallant as a knight
Picture that - Monet paints you in sun or shower
Lotus rising out of South Side water & night
How many six-foot stalks revel in their rare height?
Dark pods don't flinch; stand stoic as a light tower
We marvel at your beauty; bless your seeds with light
Stem of Third World Center, Egyptians know your rite
We pray you never wane or retreat to bower
Lotus rising out of South Side water & night
We marvel at your beauty; bless your seeds with light