I gathered flowers

I gathered flowers

Picking out the lilies for my mother

And searching for any

That were shockingly colorful for myself

They had recommended this,

Not to let the flowers go to waste 

I hadn’t known that was something people did

As we moved around under the tent

My boots sank into the green felt

I could feel the dirt underneath it

As if it was unable to decide 

If it was trying to fool you into thinking 

It was real grass or not

And when we finished our task

I turned and walked away

Holding living beauty so at odds with the moment

And I’ve never gone back to that place

Outside of my own mind

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

This is the kind of poetry. You must read a few times. The lines become more meaningful with each reading. You wrote a honest story in the poetry. You made the reader feel the grief and the sadness. Thank you for sharing the outstanding poetry and your thoughts.
Coyote

[pressedflowers]

I love the imagery in this piece and how you capture the complexity of grief. So beautifully written.

[Kelly Scheppers]

I well remember the day of my mother's funeral. It was raining and it was bitterly cold. I kept wondering what my life was going to be like without her, and how long it would be before I came back to visit her. She was my last remaining parent, and as real as that was, I still remember the sweetness of the flowers upon her casket under the tent. The alignment of the chairs were as stoic as the people there, and the felt was greener than any grass I'd seen. Your poem took me back to the pain, to the familiarity of cemeteries, and why they are always so cold, no matter the time of year you go. Thank you for sharing a memory that reminded me of my own!

[Unspoken poet]

such an emotional read, yet in a way kind of beautiful. enjoyed this

[KAREN]

Beautiful, and sad at the same time. I love the first two lines!

[John the Baptist]

Although it doesn't mention death specifically, this offering is all about it. The speaker is apparently at the graveside after the burial ceremony has been completed. The flowers mentioned are the key to the poem. The speaker seems to sense the irony of having living things of beauty in the midst of such a somber event. The last two lines are important. The death is put in the past except at times of remembrance. This is as it should be.