It's Still Life

A Few Thoughts That Aren’t About Flowers

I’ve never been one to wonder: Who I am.

I know who my father is,
and I’ve been my own mother
for some time now.

If you look too long into the throat
of a rose, you’ll forget that
your own long road has secrets.

And your youth will become wisdom,
your wisdom will become as lyrical
as your speech and deep affections.

And I remind myself daily to deviate
from rules, and walk according
to my dream’s measure.

Be a lily, if you can’t be a rose,
and leave your poems incomplete.

Poems/prose ©Misky 2023.