Universe of Flowers
Sister sees the snowfall dreaming soonly
of the summertime
Swimming through velvet air and drinking
dandelion wine
Brother don’t gild the lily for a father’s
shoes to fill
I’d rather have no son at all than a son
as a daffodil
Peering in the thickets where a father
hides below
He had the universe of flowers and
withdrew a rose
Mother says that marigolds will help
the desert bloom
Tulip bells for bullet shells where hearts
and minds once grew
Pollen drifting from poppy fields turns her name
into the desert sun
Show me your love only once a year, my cherry blossom
in Washington
Buried in the thickets but a mother
always knows
She had the universe of flowers and
withdrew a rose
Richard Rosengarten is a poet living in Miami, Florida. He studied creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh, where he served as editor-in-chief of The Original magazine. Later he served as editor-in-chief of the University of Miami Law Review. His poetry has been featured in Poetica magazine and nominated for a Pushcart Prize.