Rhododendron (for Lisa)

We stumbled over the spelling,
of those robotic syllables. We argued
merrily, making fun of where the ‘R’
and the ‘h’ go, being silly, a good
sign, the beginning of something
other than Rhododendron. The early
September evening spoke of autumn:
gloomy and quickly cold, we walked
close together, blossoming perhaps,
laughing as summer slipped away.