Ephemera by Kathleen Wilson"almost one hundred blooms"
she counted
as she went.
She'd downsized in the end,
put her wedding dishes in her closet
with her clothes,
taking them out often,
not for eating, but
for guests to admire.
"These two long strands
of orchids,"
she told me,
"do not fit
in my small room."
(I had embraced
her favorite nephew's body so
she smiled
and gave them all to me.)
I shaped the long straight stems
to circles
for my hats.
I'm her ephemera
(and wear them often)
lavender,
and silk-white,
with deep rose
petal wings.
They're (as she intended)
of her,
and of
my smile for him
everlasting.
I'll add them
to my own
ephemeral
count 11/22/2006 Posted on 11/22/2006 Copyright © 2024 Kathleen Wilson
Member Comments on this Poem |
Posted by Shirin Swift on 11/27/06 at 07:59 PM I was struck by the freshness and spontaneity of this poem & its theme, a casual and/or selfless gesture that incepts something else quite special & long lasting. The relations are also so very 'pared' down in this poem (the characters are not fully revealed) to be quite subtle & in a way impressionistic. Lovely! |
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