'New leaves for the benediction'

Hosta Bressingham Blue, a Hosta cultivar

“Seeing, in April, hostas unfurl like arias,
and tulips, white cups inscribed with licks of flame,
gaze feverish, grown almost to my waist,
and the oak raise new leaves for benediction,
I mourn for what does not come back.’’

— From ‘‘Celebration,’’ by Grace Schulman