Roses are red, and so is Clathrus archeri

Gloria D. Gonsalves

I rush the November walk, swiftly

before the wind waltzes me to it.
The leaves, darting the oncoming blow,
make a golden show of their flying skill.

The stream, belching a brownish drink,
whispers an excuse before brimming on.
My eyes wander across the fence,
summoned by something red.

Be that plastic, maybe the wind
or I, but one of us will carry the trash home.
The forest floor is a sacred space
and kindness we must not grant the littering.

Behold the black slime on red claws!
What in the name of stinky red roses
are these alien tentacles? What land is this?
The bizarre red resembles a hybrid hell.

This amateur has no idea of her spotting.
The wind gusts, and I, the leaning tower
of human, struggle to walk home upright.
Like the wind, I rush to search online.

Are there red alien-like plants in the forest?
What species is a red octopus growing in the forest?
What is a growing red tentacle called?
Are there red mushrooms?

That red thing has a name: devil’s fingers
or Clathrus archeri.

The Science

As an amateur mushroom enthusiast, this poem is inspired after stumbling upon a mushroom I could not identify. Through online research and a mushroom app, I was able to identify it as Clathrus archeri. Also known as the octopus stinkhorn or devil's fingers, this mushroom features an eye-catching transformation from a subdued egg into four to seven vivid, erect arms. These arms unfold to expose a striking pinkish-red interior contrasted by a dark-olive, spore-laden gleba (or inner mass). A white-armed variant, C. archeri var. alba, has recently emerged from India's Shola Forests, adding a new twist to its colourful display.

The Poet

Gloria D. Gonsalves is author of children’s stories and a poet. Poetry is a medium for her to learn, teach, and advocate. As a poet, she focuses on maintaining, passing, and adding to poetry so it lives on for the next generation, whether illustrious or not. She has four poetry collections: Even Flowers Know That Water is Useless Without Roots (2023), Let’s Go Walking in the Storm (2020), Let’s Go Dancing in the Light (2017), and Mists of Sense Require Fierce Poesy (2014). She is also the founder of WoChiPoDa.com, an initiative to instil the love of poetry in children.