Easter Lilies

For a long time she stood
At the flower shop window
The daffodils dearest at this time of year
Inside she emptied her purse on the counter
"I want to buy all of the daffodils here"
By her eyes it was plain
To see she's been crying
As she tucked back a strand of
Loose hair from her face
"I want to spend all of my money on flowers
And I need every daffodil here in this place"

Clutching her harvest
A corn sheaf of flowers
She clambered aboard the late rush hour tram
And by Schweigaardsgate
A small pool of water
Had formed on the floor as
If wrung from her hands
It just seemed to add to
The lost look about her
As the grey rattling city went grumbling past
She sat like a small child testing for butter
Her face lit in yellow from
The flowers tightly clasped

Once in her apartment she lay down the blooms
And divided them up into glasses and jars
Till daffodils filled every space in the room
Then she lit every candle she
Found in the house
She bathed and she dressed
And corked open champagne
Which made pigeons fly from her window sills
And closing the curtains on birds in the rain
She stood among flickering daffodils

Surrounded and centered she
Pondered her feelings
Sofa'd and cushioned on feathers she lay
Holding on to the pillows lest
She float to the ceiling
And just like the cigarette smoke drift away
She wondered just where the
Wind might deliver
An unwritten letter, a torn envelope
Though candlelight warmed she
Suddenly shivered
And the yellow flowers shimmered
With brightness and hope