Fire Lilies

My thanks to Steliana Cristina Voicu for including my haiku in the “Spicy-ku” themed Issue 14 of her Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal, published in November 2025:

fire lilies
a taste of cinnamon
on her lips

This haiku centers on the contrast between two visceral sensualities. The fire lily, with its flamboyant sweep of colorful petals edged in gold, offers an external, visual scorch of passion. Its counterpoint is the intimate, internal taste of cinnamon on lips—a spice that tingles, warms and lingers. The lily’s petals mirror the curve of a compelling smile, transforming the flower’s visual heat into the slow, edible fire of a kiss. The passionate flame of the bloom resonates in the delicate warmth of the spice, uniting the haiku’s elements.

Fire Lily (Gloriosa superba) – Pinterest photo

Click here to visit the Enchanted Garden Haiku Journal for more of the Spicy-ku issue.