L is for laurel

(1. a small evergreen tree 
2. [usu. pl.] honour won,
as by achievement)

An achievement

How little we learn
reading a dictionary
budget edition I must
not forget - what can
we expect? This 3rd
edition 2002, pages
yellowing already -
a tired little tome
hardly worthy of
the word 'laurel'.

Go to Wikipedia, my
friends, go find that
bay laurel has been
preferred choice to
honour poets, hence
'poet laureate'. Along
with sports. "I say,
how sporting you are
your rhymes racy
rhythm of tennis
parsing like cricket
returning the ball
to its bowler, a realm
of sunhats and points
scored. How poetic
your loss, my dear!"

In our local remnant
of a Catholic cemetery
without its ghost town,
a committee planted
the Bay Laurel for
memory. We use it
to flavour our mince
and taties. The leaves
are preferred fare
for the Eastern
tiger swallowtail.
There are twelve
other trees & shrubs
in its family & friends.

Oh happy laurel!
Revered by the ancients
turned into legend
contemporary symbol
of victory, transition.
Heart or shield shaped
circular emblem -we
rest on them. Thank you.