She gripped the envelope
Precious at the moment
Treasure
My last glimpse of her as the holidays slipped by

In the rush of the last minutes
She could not leave without them
Tiny blossoms
She had picked with concentration
Reverence
So serious
So important at the moment

She could not be pressed
As she passed
And she struggled to pick one from the bush
I helped her as the holidays slipped by

The flower yielded to her fingers
Little trumpets of yellow
And pink
And orange
Cupped in her hands

She walked to the park
Placed them on the wall
Then played in the sand
And on the swings
And on the imaginary ship

Time to go
Wait
One by one she picked up the little trumpets
Cupped in her hands
And walking back
Stopping each time she dropped one or two

One by one she picked up the little trumpets
Cupped in her hands
Not wanting to let go
Or leave behind

Rush to go
“My flowers”
I found the envelope
And she carefully placed them in

Little trumpets of yellow
And pink
And orange

Then she was gone

May there always be flowers for you
To pick
To smell
To cherish
As I cherish you

Happy Birthday Victoria, July 14, 2017