Succulent

The air is sweet, surprisingly so;

Saccharine scents unite to brighten the senses

As I and so many other students wander

About campus. Lilacs and other blossom-full trees

Swell over the sidewalks in earnest, encompassing

All who pass in placid perfume. Their gift seems involuntary,

For I know that man has cultivated and arranged

Almost all the foliage I see. Who, then,

Is the giver of the gift?

Who is to blame

For such a happy accident?

I stare at a tulip; it waves back,

A red head bobbing in the breeze.

It is difficult to distinguish the people-pleasers

From those who happen to please people.