An Ode to the Hibiscus

You can make it into twine,
You can turn it into tea.
You can rub it on your head
Where you'd like more hair to be.



You can blend it in a chutney,
You can mix it for a dye,
As a lotion on your booboos
You might give the leaves a try.



It will heal cracks on your feet.
It will blend to make a beer.
It is used for making paper.
For a cough, it has no peer.



Worn behind the ear it tells you
Who is single, who is married.
As an offering at Kali's shrine
The blooms are often carried.



Of its fibers, wigs are fashioned,
And grass skirts that surely tickle.
Some claim it's a contraceptive.
Other make hibiscus pickle.



It's in soft drinks. It's in water.
It can help prevent VD.
It can darken shoes and eyebrows
And cure camel sores, you see.



But the reason that I used one
On this bracelet that I made
Is because the flower's pretty
And the beaded ones don't fade.

Non fading hibiscus flowers right here.