"Flower Store"

“Flower store”

The little bell 

That tops the door, golden

Gave a soft chirp 

As if angels had spoken.

You waltzed in, 

As fresh as morning dew

As light as a rose petal,

Or a viola born mid-june.

I turned to you,

I shouldn’t have stared,

I shouldn’t have cared,

But I did both anyway.

I took it in, 

The sunlight unraveling 

From a window to your hair

Your flushed cheeks 

Delicate face

Clothes still rippling with a ghost 

Of the summer’s breath.

And the way,

Perhaps unconsciously 

Those gemstones for eyes

Darted across the room 

To every flower, every base 

Seeing the spectrum of colors,

And smelling their scents. 

 I spend much 

Of my Wednesday afternoons 

Behind this counter.

Just counting, watching 

When people come and go,

And all the stories 

That wait to be told 

By the flowers they carry,

Each a messenger of news.

What were you looking for?

A red rose to give a lover?

 Dahlias symbolizing 

Your acts of commitment?

A blue sage to indicate

You think often of them?

Or dwarf sunflowers

Meaning adoration

Deep and well?

My heart clutched,

Twisted and itched and burned.

Of course you would have

Already someone to gift

Those kinds of flowers to.

“Can I help you today,

Whatever would you like?”

My voice hoarse with neglect 

Made you look my way

For the first time

You smiled,

A sight perfected by the hands 

Of deities from the skies.

Your pink painted cheeks

Now crimson, probably

A cruel trick of the sun.

“Um, yes,

I think you can

I was looking for some seeds

To see if I could plant

Flowers as beautiful as these,

Only in my backyard.”

Your request, 

Simply surprised me

While my heart ran in my chest

At realizing how close

To me you were.

I cleared my throat, 

Tried to compose 

Some sort of coherent sentence.

At my failure at this,

I turned to the seeds.

“Any preference

As to what you would like?”

I watched you close

Your wandering eyes again

Keen and incisive

but indecisive.

“I want some blooms

That’ll make passersby smile,

That’ll brighten their days

Even for a little while”

I nodded, 

Losing the battle against a grin

As I looked at all the packets

Displayed neatly before  me.

“I also want butterflies

To come and go as the please,

And for my garden to be 

A safe haven for the bees”

I grabbed a packet of Cosmos, 

Since they bloom all summer long.

Symbolizing  perfect harmony

They’ll  attract buzzing bees

 and butterflies.

I reached a hand to Sweet Alyssum,

So you can enjoy it’s smell,

And I hope that in the evenings

You find it calming as well.

I picked some that were easy,

Yet a blessing and appealing

And I turned back to you.

You paid the bill,

Then took the seeds.

Grazed my skin

Softer than a feather could.

Too flustered to say goodbye, 

I grabbed a daisy from my side

Then tucked it behind your ear

I really hope we meet again, dear.