Quirky Meadow Saffron

(seen, Aug 2009 Merbach Hill)
Beautiful, and like a ‘crocus’
fragile jewel in autumn grass
petals lilac meld their bases,
into stem-like tube, that’s white
swaying, delicate and light
emerging from the ground.
No leaves until the flower dies,
– but in the spring they will arise
and as they lengthen, maturing fruit
lifted with the leafy shoot.
Poisonous to stock, – so rare,
destroyed in meadows where they graze;
but extracts are researched with care:
potential chemical displays
of therapeutic use.