Crepe Myrtle

August. It’s Crepe Myrtle season at the Jersey shore
These wondrous jewels are everywhere,
Just popping open and yelling
Hey, look at me!
It’s hard not to.

Never met one til I moved here
But seeing that tree in full bloom shocks the doldrums right out of you
A vibrant spray of lilac shaped blossoms
Shooting high in the sky
And reaching out from the end of each branch.

Like a fireworks display of Mother Nature’s making
No noise, no fire danger, just delight.
An explosion of vivid purples, soft pinks, deep rose tones, or snowy whites.
When most plants seem to be struggling to hold on
This beauty comes alive.

As always, timing is everything.
If she appeared in the spring
When all the other newly blooming trees and shrubs
Wake up and stretch
She might well be overlooked.

But now,
Now,
She is queen.