A Flower’s Use
Written by oolu
i dreamt i was a flower once.
you came and laid beside me on a warm spring day
the breeze caused me to sway gently in the field.
i called to you and though your ear was right beside my face
you could not understand our secret language -
the language of nature.
i called to you and though you could not understand my words
you looked at me and smiled.
i dreamt i was a flower once.
you came and had lunch nearby on a hot summer’s afternoon
you had a dog and when i called, she came to me instead.
i was afraid that she’d eat me or dig a hole in my home
but she just sniffed me and went away.
i called to you but only she could understand my words.
i dreamt i was a flower once.
you came again to our field and sat beneath the wise old oak
who tells us bedime stories, as each night the westward sun sets a little earlier.
i called to you and you looked over.
i called to you and you stood up.
i called to you and you plucked me
from between the browning blades of grass.
i died that night but i died fulfilled,
my purple imperceptibly fading
as you brought me to your face
and placed me behind your ear.
and finally,
i am something useful.

This post has one comment
January 8th, 2010
This is wonderful… very nice. I loved it!
My only constructive opinion would be the following phrase:
“but she just sniffed me and went away.”
To me the spirit of the poem fell flat as I read that. “Went away” seems too literal or simple. I understand that you are speaking on behalf of the flower and using simple phrases, so it’s a challenge for sure…
Maybe it’s my own bias but I think the phrase “moved on” or “ran off” would have worked better.
Don’t get me wrong– this piece was beautiful and my heart skipped a beat while reading it. My advice is meant to be friendly and I just wanted to let you know how I felt while reading this beautiful poem.
jpd