cut flowers

occasionally I give in 
and ignore my aversion to
colorful bouquets of cut 
flowers from the grocery 
store, even though I know
that they will die an ugly
death on my dining room
table…in fact, I know they
are already dead, having been
plucked in their prime, mid-bloom 
to entertain and inspire people
like me who don’t have time
enough to frolic in fragrant 
wildflower fields, to lie down 
in tall grass imagining the 
clouds overhead to be great 
whales, angel wings, bears, or 
back-lit portals to the unknown, 
or heaven, who knows? before
disappearing into mist and blue.
…
I trim the dry stem edges and
arrange each flower in a vase 
filled with warm water and life
support crystals, admiring 
my creation, how lifelike
they appear while deceiving 
myself into believing that 
they’re not already gone, 
reminding me as they fall limp, 
petals dropping silently on 
the table, the water in the 
vase turning sour, that it was 
the illusion of life I had 
hoped to capture…the truth is
just a rude reminder I will 
die one day like those doomed 
dead flowers…it’s been a long 
time, I muse to myself, since 
I frolicked amidst wildflowers 
on a sunny afternoon…too long…
sometimes it feels like that
girl is already gone too
…
I hope it is not an ugly 
death when it happens, 
I could just silently fade away
but not before I plant my 
feet at least once more
in cool soil in the middle
of a field of tall grass and
wildflowers, while shapeshifting 
clouds float by overhead…”don’t 
mind me”, I’ll tell passersby,
I’m just silly old woman 
who buys cut flowers from 
the grocery store for 
the girl who loved them

~kat

Na|GloPoWriMo 2026~Day 29 Prompt: In your poem today, similarly compare your everyday present life with your past self, using specific details to conjure aspects of your past and present in the reader’s mind.

It’s been raining for two days. I am awash in vibrant deep green and slate gray skies…glimmers are even more needed now to fend off my tendency for SAD. Not even a sunset to bright my spirits this evening… 😢 I was beginning to think I might need to hunt through old photographs to find a glimmer…and then I saw a tiny dark shadow flutter outside my window. There on the new feeder I had purchased this year with a clear acrylic umbrella was a young hummingbird facing away from the sugar wells, taking in the rain, safe and under cover! It made me so happy! Proving to me once again that I don’t need to find glimmers…I just need to notice them. ✨✨✨💚💚💚✨✨✨

Much love, peace, and glimmers to you!

~kat