I.
Sixteen years to its first bloom,
the lady’s-slipper orchid might have lived
here near a century,
rosy pink, big as an infant’s fist

Thieved, uprooted, missed
by pollinating bees and soil fungi
with which it was in close relationship,
and by neighbors who’d looked forward
to it every spring; who knew it personally,
as wildflowers can be known

The woman who dug it from the roadside
in New Ulm was spotted—shouted after—
ran for a car that tore away,
the muddy plant cupped in her hands
likely to die before it bloomed again

II.
Today, the FBI announces
that a pair of Dorothy’s ruby slippers
have been recovered, stolen thirteen years ago
from the museum in Grand Rapids
that was Judy Garland’s home

It isn’t known if, or when, the ruby slippers
—valued at two million dollars— will be
returned to the museum; they hope
it will be soon

As the police chief says,
“They’re more than just a pair of shoes,
they’re an enduring symbol
of the power of belief.”

III.
One small relief, knowing that
showy lady’s-slipper orchids,
like many native orchids, fortunately
have a little-known, natural defense
that the woman, by now, will have realized,
making it unlikely
she will ever steal another

© Laurie Allmann. First appeared in An Hour from Now, published by Nodin Press, 2019. Showy Lady’s-slipper Orchid (Cypripedium reginae) photograph © Peter Dziuk (from) Minnesota Wildflowers.