Friday, May 9, 2025

Yesterday Was a Long Time Ago

I said please don’t ever buy me flowers

I don’t care about that

They’re expensive and all that

And I meant it

Truly.


I would much rather have a sweet note

Or a steamy poem

Like you always used to write.

Or a stroll down the path,

Hand in hand

With that hand that could make me swoon

With just a tickle of a finger in my palm


These weren’t like the tired old oh brother

of a bunch of red roses.

Obligatory hot house tokens

of supposed true love.

(Or at least the typical lusty hope 

That something might come of this

With flowers involved.)


But the thing is

Now the notes don’t come anymore

And the fingers rarely fumble for mine

Along secret paths.

So some flowers every once in a while

Might still make me believe that you

Well, you know,

Things I used to

Believe

When no flowers were needed

And the hand could make me swoon


Sometimes I’d like to find him

And tell him about you.


And hope that one of you writes me a poem

Or picks me some daisies

Or at least buys me a hothouse waste of money

So I could believe again

And snuggle in

To the fragrance of 

Extravagant waste

For extravagant love


© 2025 Laurie Sitterding

*This poem was selected for publication on Poets Online. 

https://poetsonline.org/archive/arch_floriography.html