panel one

ruffled zinnia petals of light orange
spider out among gathered bunch
with hues yellow, pink, red. their petals
tight, neat.          but this peachy one,
free-wispy-light. petals that weigh
only a few grains, but sturdy.

panel three

a tyrian purple zinnia takes
center-hold. muted others close
behind. reds, violets. fringed in white.
unforgotten. more petals weighing
only a few grains, but sturdy all.
sturdy, weight of world taken on.

panel two

this middle panel stops us. thirteen
black-eyed-irises among petals,
among butterfly wings. eye-irises
that dance, that haunt. eyes open
to all. weightless. of familiar song–
story of lost but not forgotten.

renderings of collective grief, yet celebration
of life? we look into her black iris-eyes,
into our own, into high-resolution-with-firm-
resolution into forget-me-nots into

artist’s intention to heal

into inside

*Maria Magdalena Campos: Butterfly Eyes (for Breonna Taylor)