Learning from Asiatic Lily

There can be no lotus flower without the mud.
—Thich Nhat Hanh

As red lick of sunrise brightens the air
you stand near sheets of greenery
pause beside pillows of hosta / moss
witness / where love lands to kiss lilium lips.

Slick with dew / petals glow
as tongued bowls greet wasp
answer beetle / respond in kind.
You / too / were once kissed
warmed in morning light.

Here / emotions drift / shift
as you sort through memory
contemplate love’s complexities.

Like panning for gold
extracting aurum from pyrite
authenticity from tinsel
truth from falsehood
you’ve come to believe:
there can be no lotus flower without the mud.

Perhaps the embodiment of love
resembles our natural world
fleeting moments / small offerings
energetic nectar / filling / emptying our bowls
like the seasons / where flow exists
without expectation / push of promise.

In this perennial garden
color reaches with scent of invitation
vibrancy holds lessons of living in the now / urges us to release the past
embrace our significance
illuminate the air with strength / acceptance / like Asiatic lily.

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Jeannie E. Roberts has authored four poetry collections and two children’s books. She’s an animal lover, a nature enthusiast, light and goodness seeker. She’s also reader and poetry editor of the online literary magazine Halfway Down the Stairs. When she’s not reading, writing, or editing, you can find her drawing and painting, or outdoors photographing her natural surroundings.