Like Twilight

I used to hide behind my

Grandfather's shelf to espy

My little lilies grow.

Awestruck and mostly dejected,

Because I never got to

See,

I loved the thought of being

Witness to something as

Graceful as my flowers;

Budding early between

Late March and early April.

Corseted

And trammeled to watch the flower

Grow, move an inch—or two.

And I would stand there all night

Daring the flowers to move

Their sepals, or shed their innumerable

Petals

Into the water. They always

Grew, and I never witnessed them.

Sleep was a more humble

Experience. Nature should not be

Forced either way; sleep nor flowers

Blossoming.

Date submitted: January 31, 2022

Date accepted: March 1, 2022