Rochester

Rochester lives for lilac time

when Spring finally gives Winter the boot and

Highland Park develops from black and white

into frames of color.

She’s been silently preparing for weeks

for her yearly Open House,

the biggest splash of the New York festival season.

Dressed not just in purple,

but also white, pink and blue with

pansy accents and rhododendron accessories,

she’s ready to dazzle.

Admirers come from miles around and

Suitors parade back and forth

simply to pay homage to her beauty,

hoping to be favored with a smile

she has reserved for them alone.

But heed this hard earned warning:

Just one whiff of her perfume can be intoxicating,

filling one’s head with ideas of

picnics and poems,

castles and creampuffs,

fables and ferries.

Draw close at your own risk.

It’s a rare man who can resist her charms.