the stapelia star

far
from
a
flowering,
fluorescent,
flourishing,
&
pleasantly
fragrant
facsimile of
flora herself,
the
stapelia star &
the
s. pulchella,
the
s. hirsute &
no
one
can
forget
the
s. variegate
(that special
phosphorescent
“beauty’)---
all have
gained
the nickname
“the rotten-
egg plant”
for a reason.

avec a
coriaceous
constitution,
the stapelia
spits out a rancid
stench
reminding one of
rotten & decaying
animal flesh,
or decomposing fruit
left too long in the
sun---
mephitic & aesthetically
shite
to the close observer.

staring at you like a
zebra starfish
out for the
kill---
professed through
a
fantastically
fetid
fart---
the stapelia
remains one of
south africa’s
sparkling
&
sensational
crosses
to
bear---
boisterously blossoming
in the autumn &
summer months---
for our
“enjoyment.”