bright yellow peonies
raindrops falling on the river
a heron swallowing fish
goldfinches flying with the morning breeze
glittering wand on the window sill
a jumping spider navigating the rain
roasted kale with spices and herbs
ceramic bowls of quartz
soft pink roses fading in the sun
phone calls with far away family
chicks and hens in old mccoy pottery
tiny bunnies

the raindrops cling to your velvet petals
and i am reminded of ballroom gowns
with satin sashes and ruffled skirts–
those dresses of dreams
and fantasy and childhood fairy stories
that still haunt the halls of memory
with forgotten echoes of romance
and misty mirages of everlasting love

i searched for you in my dreams the
other night, and heard fragments of lost
memories tap-tapping on ruffled edges–
later, i realized it was just the rain

dreams linger–
sitting silently on velvety petals
shimmering and shifting–
before drifting deftly away,
and landing upon the next tender bud

you captivate with your languid longing

delicate pink petals
pinch my heart–
the memories come flooding,
tumbling,
racing
into the space that is now,
that was then,
that was when
we were young

“They should get rid of all these weeds in these plants,” she said.

but i liked the way it looked,
exactly as it was–
beautiful weeds and all

tiny, tender minutes in time–
little and brittle
and treasured,
like preserved crimson flowers
on a sunny spring day

my gaze falls–
on the ground,
on the distance,
on the time behind me
and the road beyond me–
why do we so often forget to look up?