I fell in love with a boy who loved flowers.
He could go on and on about his favorite colors and shapes.
His nursery had tiers of flowers that bloomed all season.
He let me in on his secret, how when he smiled the flowers bloomed.
"A little kindness goes a long way.
The creatures of the forest also want a little attention", he said.
We met then once and it got etched into my brain.
When we departed he said "The same time next week. "
We saw each other a month later.
We planted lavender and prayed upon its bloom.
The times we met after seem to go by as films from view master.
When he departed, we talked about, how the season may be before we meet again.
Soon, I left to see the world, his kindness in my heart.
Always wide-eyed, even the creatures of the wild need a little love.
His secret became a part of me, like a tattoo, or a fragrance.
I put it in like Meraki on everything I did, everyone I spoke to, every second of my existence.
Many moons later I met this man, he shared a smile with the boy I knew.
His curly hair, I remember but his sharp nose, I had missed.
Happiness aloud, I hugged him,
he was gray now, with less smiles, his eyes on the ground.
As I kept looking for the boy in him he said,
"This is not a love story, you are not a princess.
Wake up from your dream for there is no magic".
A boy who became a man too soon, shielded he was before.
He made a promise to someone, it was them against the world.
Was it that someone?
Was it the worst in the world that changed him?
Was it the colds of the north?
He was sly at times now.
All I had to ask him was, "Did it hurt when you were kind?"
Now the caress is not of love,
but with the intention to open and hurt.
Bewildered I took him to our spot,
where the lavender bloomed in the winter.
When he saw his nursery with teary eyes he said, "They are dead".
"The seasons have been harsh on them.
All they need is a little care and the secret of the little boy"
