It happens, you know—the day opens itself
like a tulip in a warm room, and you meet someone
who amazes you with their willingness
to be a thousand percent alive, someone
who makes you feel grateful to be you.
And it’s as if life has been keeping a beautiful
secret from you—like the fact that they make
elderberry flowers into wine. Like muscadine.
Like the yellow-green floral scent of quince.
Like the perfect knot for tying your shoes.
And it turns out life does have wonderful
secrets waiting for you. Even when the news
makes you cry. Even when some old pain returns,
that’s when you will meet this new friend.
Someone wholly themselves. Someone
who makes you smile in the kitchen, a smile so real
that when you go out, the whole world notices.
It’s enough to make you want to wake up in the morning.
To go into the day. To be unguarded as a tulip, petals
falling open. You never know who you might meet.
This poem is so joyfully inspirational, Rosemerry. I want to be a thousand percent alive!
Thank you, LuAnne … my guess is you are such a human!
Hi Rosemerry. This poem is a wonderful inspiration to start my day. Just so you know, you are one of those fully alive people and you have always been an inspiration to me. When I am feeling down, all I need do is open one of your emails and read one of your poems to get me back on the tracks to life again. Thank you for sharing your energy and lifting us all up.
Thank you, Kaye, I really appreciate that. Wow. It’s a gift we give to each other, yes, this willingness to be open, to be ourselves, to be alive. A gift we really are giving ourselves! Thank you. Sending you big hugs!
Lovely words that create beautiful images in my mind. Thanks for sharing.
thank you–yes, it is such a gift to meet new people who make us so darn glad to be alive. Thank you for commenting!
😊