Dead flowers

Just words

                              Dead flowers

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Once we tried to catch the wind.

We loved the California fault line and the Pacific.

She loved the black velvet whiskey and I loved her.

I always brought her live flowers and I watched her,

plant them in the Monterey soil in her garden.

She told me,

I don't want dead flowers Johnnie.

I want things that cannot die,

my favorite flowers are my roses,

they rebirth every Spring for me.

I remembered how the sun kissed her skin,

the coyness of her smile.

She was my morning blessing and evening kindness.

I was leaving for war and we prayed, we laughed and we cried.

I was a careless man,

I didn't know yet,

war teaches us nothing,

life is in the front of us.

I returned to Monterey in the early Spring,

I bought fresh planted roses and rosemary.

I went to her house, sat on her porch and I watched the sun begin to rise.

She came out with fresh coffee and she embraced me.

She caressed the budding roses and she whispered.

I read your letters from Africa everyday and I prayed you were okay.

We paint pretty pictures and when we learn.

The world can be so ugly, can kill the kindness we know and feel.

Please Johnnie, stay with me.

Let's plant the roses, the rosemary together.

Dear Johnnie, we can't save the world,

all we can do, is what we can.

I saw everything in her eyes,  I saw radiant hazel eyes blessing me with love and kindness.

I told her, sweet baby, you were right. We cannot fix a world that doesn't want to be repair,

maybe we are just like the dead flowers, slowly dying and to be forgotten?

She brought me closer and she sang to me.

"O my love, O my love,

the stormy sea must rest,

the seasons will change and we are endless,

we are a shred of grey, a shred of blue.

We will long for things gone, 

we will know the nightingale song and we will learn.

When love is near, hold on tight,

when the sea is near.

Become her dear friend.

If you ain't dead,

we are not done yet.

Today is now, yesterday is gone.

Stay with me and I show you the sea,

we will find Big Sur,

learn new joy and rewrite a soldier story,

with a happy ending."

I followed her to her garden,

we planted the roses and the rosemary.

I knew, a blessed man is allowed into the garden of a sweet woman.

                           Dancing Coyote

Author's Note

Some words.

Reviews

[Ted Kniffen]

John, another of your love poems, filled with meaning ... painting a portrait for the rest of us to feast our eyes on. Well done, friend.
In a way this reminds me of Rod McKuen's poetry. Heartfelt and honest. Good story line and lovely descriptions of the lady in question.
Roses and rosemary planted in a garden grow and blossom ... more than words, John, and hardly dead flowers.

A good write, friend.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you Ted. I agree and I appreciate the comment.

[DAH]

This is one the the most endearing love poems that I've read in awhile.
It's filled with so many perfect moments.

Beautiful, CP, simply beautiful!

Cheers,
DAH

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you my friend for reading and the kind words. I do appreciate.

[DAH]

My pleasure!

[Weeping willow]

Lovely words, always enjoy your poems and this one is the best. Life often twist and turns in directions we don't often understand. Nice expression in this piece ;-}

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you dear friend for reading and the comment. I do appreciate.

[Kesch (Finding Julia)]

Wow, this is so good, full of emotions

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you my friend for reading and the comment. I do appreciate.

[Ana B.]

Sometimes its hard to find the weeds in our inner garden. We hate it when someone points at them to us. But how else a beautiful love would bloom...
Lovely poem my friend, especially the last line. Peacefully beautiful.

[Coyote Poetry]

Thank you dear Ana. I appreciate the comment.

[Sinach]

This truly appeals to the emotion....

Nice piece....