by Kevin T McEneaney
Crocus, emblem of the arriving Spring:
purple, yellow, orange trumpeting change
to warmer weather despite frigid nights.
Hardy in early March, they endure cold
weather to blossom in the early sun.
Homer compared its color to the dawn.
They put a smile on the face of a child,
or anyone who says hello to them.
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Roman ladies used saffron to dye robes
and also used it as a cosmetic.
While the corns are eaten in Syria,
crocus arrived in Europe through Turkey.
Sativus can inhibit cancer cells;
science hopes to use it as cancer cure.
