Tara Lynne Brown


Tulips pucker their petals at the sun
Hoping to barter some rain
Coax some clouds
Maybe if they bloom a little faster
The sun will like what it sees
And send a monsoon

Their petals open as far as they can
Exposing all
Giving everything
In hopes of being quenched
Just a sprinkle?
A sunshower?
Just want to feel a little relief
A little life again
The way things used to be
When the sun wasn’t so hot
When the earth didn’t burn
And the tulips held their buds a little longer
Savoring the deepening of their roots
Relishing the turning of their colors
When they puckered their petals up in love
In thanks
In adoration
Not in the way they do now
In exchange for their release
In payment for their life
Pressing their petals back
Knowing they don’t impress the sun any more
The tulips lilt
Lay
And kiss the earth
Bidding a flash flood
Hoping the sun will burn out.