Prompt: a poem in which one or more flowers take on specific meanings.
I’m 7
I’ve just learned to fold the stem
of a dandelion
so it looks like a ring
I don’t yet know that many folks still
see them as merely weeds
I’m 11
I’ve planned and planted a fort
with tall sunflowers
that will make up the walls
I reject the inconvenient duty
to tend the seeds into life
I’m 16
I’ve just received a corsage
of white chrysanthemum
which I wear to the prom
I feel like a child just playing “grown up”
in many ways, I am
I’m 22
I’ve been assaulted by the stench
of callery pear blooms
as I walk home from campus
I hold my breath through a familiar smile
knowing that spring is near
I’m 27
I’ve noticed my neighbors’ gardens
with colorful tulips
during daily and evening walks
I think of Holland and of wedding prep
days left but not forgotten