Flowers

By: Kathy Gardner

Enough time has passed now
and your flowers
have become a source of discomfort for me.
I take such care to pick them out
to water them
to trim their stems
to arrange them
to find the perfect ribbon
and wrap them up

And in those moments I am happy.
bringing you beauty from this world
gives me peace.

But as I watch your resting place
slowly overgrow
with colors I did not choose for you,
as the biting cold of Connecticut winters
fails to preserve your roses and gardenias and lilies
and the petals all fall off

I remember why you’re gone.

I remember we are all at the mercy of nature —

That no amount of preparation or coaxing
can keep these flowers alive

And no amount of love
could have brought you safely home.

About Kathy Gardner

Kathy Gardner lives with her husband Charlie and their two busy little boys, Charlie (6) and James (3) in Sandy Hook, CT. Their 3rd child, Tinsley, is already waiting for them in Heaven. Tinsley died suddenly in December 2017 at 32 weeks because of a True Knot in her umbilical cord. Kathy has found comfort in writing poetry to express her grief around losing her daughter and hopes other parents find comfort in her words, too.  She shares about her journey on Less Than One Percent (https://ltop.blog/).