Old Masters

They paint the garden
each June,
eschewing water lilies
for Siberian irises
that defy the sky
to match their blue,
for lace-edged peonies
that test their skills,
and soft yellow irises
they brush in across the backgrounds
like clouds.

The canvas sways
on a gentle breeze--
these flowers planted generations back
know their limits--
and the artists daub broad strokes of color.
An old garden is a palette
mimicked
but never mastered.