Peace Lilies
Peace Lilies
by Cathy S. Bowers
I collect them now, it seems. Like
sea-shells or old
thimbles. One for
Father. One for
Mother. Two for my sweet brothers.
Odd how little
they require of
me. Unlike the
ones they were sent in memory
of. No sudden
shrilling of the
phone. No harried
midnight flights. Only a little
water now and
then. Scant food and
light. See how I’ve
brought them all together here in
this shaded space
beyond the stairs.
Even when they
thirst, they summon me with nothing
more than a soft,
indifferent furl-
ing of their leaves.
This is the best poem I’ve read about flowers.
The lack of comments made me comment because this is an exquisite piece of poetry. I think you should know that this compares with the very best poems by the very best poets – it has the measure and control of greatness. I hope that you are aware how much talent you have.
Beautiful. I was looking for a lily picture and stumbled upon this poem. A very fortunate happenstance.