All Her Flowers

I catch her distress
as she turns around
to share

then...no heart...
in her quivering
tentative
smile

and I know she'd run miles
through the storm clouds above
to tell you this one thing
her heart knows you'd love

and it's you, only you
her brawd and her bud
who'd have been there
right now
reaching out

but you can't
and she knows
and I can't
so she goes
and lays all her flowers
alone, in her way

then she comes back
too brave
a dead leaf in her hair
and I wipe all her tears
with tenderest care

and she'll hand me a flower
from us both mam, she'll say
and I know then
we'll make it
through just one more day...

we three

M P 13/8/21