I
haven't thought
of
hollyhocks
in
quite some time,
nor
roses.
Stone flowers
gray
my landscape—hard,
the
way the light isn’t light anymore,
but an intrusion, an offense,
to the dark soil of my seedling,
but an intrusion, an offense,
to the dark soil of my seedling,
nursing
safe, until color is ready to form,
replacing stone,
replacing stone,
crumbling
statues,
bleak
memorials of times past,
headstones of a previous life—
to reach, to grow,
headstones of a previous life—
to reach, to grow,
to
topple them,
with
leaves and stem
and oh, the most glorious bloom.
and oh, the most glorious bloom.
©
2016 Jennifer Wagner
The
Great Stone Church
Photo © 2016 Jennifer Wagner
Photo © 2016 Jennifer Wagner
Such cherished flowers here bloom
ReplyDeleteThis is wonderfully complex. It begins with a recognition of the weight, the heaviness, the sadness and ends with hopefulness, faithfulness. Beautiful. (BTW, I just purchased "Love Kindness" for my bride and I to read together. Your site moves books!)
ReplyDeleteA very creative, insightful, and relatable, poem, Jennifer! I like the stone church photo too. Where was it taken?
ReplyDeleteHi Janet, thanks! The photo is of the ruins of The Great Stone Church at Mission San Juan Capistrano in California. We toured the site this summer; it has been beautifully preserved.
DeleteOh.... Lovely words and photo too. Lots to ponder here Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteLovely and emotive. Powerful images beautifully rendered. Emergence from depression: a glorious bloom.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe breaking through concrete like dandelions do... great work on the metaphor here.
ReplyDeleteThis is really lovely--it unfolds like a flower into something deeper--richer--
ReplyDelete__ Grand Jen, a super-parallel to one of Zen Speug's most recent haiku posts_! Lovely. _m
ReplyDeletecolor feels drained in many places, Jen, and with it, words.
ReplyDeletethe last line gives us hope, though, doesn't it? ~