Leaving Pretty Behind
I found her lying in the grass
A small plot of black soil
Half dug next to the house
Trowel still clutched in her hand
Flower bulbs scattered near her feet
I helped her into the living room
Her soft withered body
A feather leaning against mine
Wobbly hand pointing toward her chair
Why didn’t you call me? I asked
She just shrugged before replying
Seems if a body is soon to leave this world
A body should be able to leave something pretty behind
I put the kettle on for tea
Brought her pills and a warm blanket
No use asking her to call the doctor
Both had given up the pretense
Grown weary of Keep the faith
She insisted on the planting instead
I grubbed and turned the fall ground
To a fine crumbling between my fingers
Then she puttered the bulbs to bed
Whispered a prayer for their ears only
One warm and windy March day
I drove past the empty house
Saw the For Sale sign in the yard
A yellow conversation of daffodils
Chatted gaily amongst the red brick
Whispering pretty pretty
18 thoughts on "Leaving Pretty Behind"
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
This is such a beautiful but bittersweet story, Sylvia 💙. Well told, and gorgeous close.
Oh, I love this poem! Thanks for sharing.
Leaving something pretty behind- so lovely
love this narrative poem. It’s sweet and accurate spirit
Brutally poignant, Sylvia.
Wow. Simply beautiful.
Thank you for this beautiful poem. I love so many of your lines such as ” a yellow conversation of daffodils”.
Those last two stanzas…whew! Gorgeous imagery.
This is a tribute to the power of nature and the resilience of the human spirit. I enjoy the message of finding the beauty in life even in the face of illness and death.
Beautiful. And the fifth stanza is outstanding with “fine crumbling” and “puttered.”
This is incredible. I love the last three lines, and you’ve laid a lot of pipe that makes those lines work so well.
Wow. So moving.
Wonderful story, Sylvia and so well told. I love the chatting daffodils.
Wow. A beautiful poem. The ending is phenomenal. 💛
Beautiful and haunting. My favorite lines:
Then she puttered the bulbs to bed
Whispered a prayer for their ears only
Thank you all for your comments! It’s so good to be back luxuriating among poets again!
A yellow conversation of daffodils chatted gaily amongst the red brick wall! I love it!
Oh, this is so tender and moving! Those last three lines really stay with me!