“Yesterday, the final petal curled its soft lure into bone,” from Corpse Flower by Vanessa Angelica Villarreal
They say I yearn for you in the hush of early dawn
to gather pieces of a memory
long lost,
if only I could paint ignorance
lend grief carelessly to a passing cloud
savor a moment
or two of the deafening loud.
Here lies what could have been a life
untold
here the sun and shadow
whisper promises of renewal and bond,
and though the pain rises back to the surface
I hold back tears
convinced that snow would melt away
all my doubts and fears.
I held a rose,
its petals soft and reassuringly red
you are heartbeat
you are taste of storm
embedded deep into the conscience of winter,
you are reflection
that gazes back at me from the walnut mirror.
~ A tribute to my identical twin sister 🌹
Photo credits: Pinterest
Posted for ‘Bits of Inspiration’ @ Real Toads
And on ‘Open Link Night’ @ dVerse Poets Pub
54 Responses
This is just so beautiful, Sanaa. You capture the ephemeral nature of memory, the tangible quality of love. I found the whole piece very moving.
Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Kerry 😀 so glad you liked it! ❤️
You taste of storm…what a great lin3
Thank you so much, Toni 😀 so good to see you ❤️
Oh, this is indeed very moving, aided in part because of the subject matter — in its context and the resulting depth, this speaks of a connection and a loss which may seem incomprehensible but is of the same tactile and visceral quality as any other grief.
Beautifully wrought, Sanaa! <3
Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Anmol 😀 so glad you liked it! ❤️
That’s an unusual title, Sanaa, and I love the quotation that inspired it, as well as the beautiful poem itself. I especially enjoyed the final stanza.
Thank you so much, Kim 🙂 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Oh, this moves me to tears. The wafting haze of memory joined to your own reflection is flawless and beautiful. Thank you so much for writing and sharing this.
Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Susie 😀 so glad you liked it! ❤️
(and thank you for the lovely prompt)
Yes, there is great beauty in the piece, and slivers of sadness woven between the lines. When love is lost, it is time to learn to love again.
Definitely 🙂 thanks for stopping by, Glenn ❤️
This is beyond beautiful Sanaa with love flowing both ways through the mirror 💜
Thank you so much, Xenia 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Sanaa- what a moving poem. How sad you never got to meet other than in the womb.
Thank you so much, Linda 😀 so good to see you ❤️
I like this description of the snow which I normally don’t think of melting anything but being melted: “snow would melt away
all my doubts and fears”
Thank you so much, Frank 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤️
Doubts and fears of this depth can be melted by the snow simply if the snow is warmer, indeed a subtle and nuanced description of the potential deep iciness of said doubts and fears, it made me also do a double take, I agree with Frank, that is a powerful line
Thank you so much, Lona 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
The way you weaved the story here is so good… the flowers and death, I feel that death is a parting… well written.
Definitely 🙂 thanks for stopping by, Bjorn ❤️
Oh my, Sanaa…this is so perfectly crafted that it’s just…PERFECT!
Thank you so much, Timoteo 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Sweet yearning for those memories. Specially like:
you are heartbeat
you are taste of storm
Thank you so much, Grace 😀 so good to see you ❤️
This is beautiful and haunting – speaks of loss and connection –
Thank you so much, V.J 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
This is a very beautiful piece.
Thank you so much, Nitin 😀 so good to see you ❤️
Great poem. All roses lose their petals eventually. Perhaps a word of wisdom for all of us.
Definitely 🙂 thanks for stopping by, Dwight ❤️
I felt quite weepy reading this Sanaa. Twin’s are so special to each other and it must be as though a part of you is missing especially as you mention each time when you look in the mirror.
Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Robin 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤️
I didnt know you have a twin, Sanaa. This is a most beautiful poem. One of your best.
Thank you so much, Sherry 😀 so good to see you ❤️
Lovely poetry leaving me with a wide range of emotions. Thank you for this gift.
Thank you so much, Helen 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
This is so moving and a beautiful tribute to your sister. I guess your reflection in the mirror gives it more meaning. It’s poignant yet lovely.
Thank you so much, Vivian 😀 so good to see you ❤️
The second stanza is pure ache and longing .. my eyes welled up by the time I finished reading the poem. Such a beautiful tribute to your twin, Sanaa! 💙
Awww gosh! ❤️ Thank you so much, Daniella 😀 so glad you liked it! ❤️
“if only I could paint ignorance
lend grief carelessly to a passing cloud
savor a moment
or two of the deafening loud.”
This is so poignant!
Thank you so much, Priya 😀 so good to see you ❤️
Love the quotation by Villarreal and how it led you to write this poem. Your words stir something deep inside the heart as one contemplates death and loss. Beautiful!
Thank you so much, Alyssa 🙂 for your kind, loving and warm words ❤️
Oh this is beautifully haunting! The idea of seeing a loved one’s reflection in the mirror is so touching.
Thank you so much, Cara 😀 so good to see you ❤️
Your first stanza set the exquisitely haunting tone of this poem. Stunning work. I like the reflection in the. Mirror at the end.
Thank you so much, Sara 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Interesting question to wonder at the possibilities of her life by gazing at your own reflection, as if you were a type of template for what could have been. We lost a daughter at 7 weeks old, and I do sometimes wonder through watching her sister who joined us three years later how her life might have mirrored the other. Hard to say, even twins develop there own path both separate from and bonded to each other. Personally, I feel we will have a chance to find out someday. I love the careful and soft rounding rhyming, carrying an image outwards and then back again.
Thank you so much, Lona 😀 so good to see you ❤️
tender and yet strong ~
Thank you so much, Michael 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️