To Make Violet Perfume

Purge yourself of evil intentions.
Eat meat and wear only leather, so plants will think
you are a carnivore. Don't use scented soap.
Violets will flee from odor-predators.

Do not rely on your sense of smell.
The odor of violets deadens the nose--
you can detect it only once.

Follow the flight of the Setaceous Hebrew Character
in egg-laying season. It will guide you
through the kabbalistic maze
of its intimate relationship with this plant,
a labyrinth you perceive as enchanted forest.

Should you find a clump
of flowers, deep or pale purple
don't look too hard at them-- violets
will suck rhodopsin from your retina
leaving you dark-blind.

Ignore the blossoms: they are only fit
for rabbit food. Dig up the roots
and you will find delicate nodules just the shade
of half-bleached petals. That
is the source of the fragrance:
hidden, disappearing,
blinding, numbing
essence of shy.

--image couretsy of Magpie Tales
Collection available! Knocking from Inside