A Mouthful of Flowers

Hello looks a lot like daisies

You fell in love with him under a June blue sky

Fingertips were stained

In the artificial blues and reds

Of a summer afternoon

Your eyes grew to love the burn

Of the sun reflecting from his eyes

Your skin craved

His dirt stained, tequila spotted

Fingers, carefully holding

Your thin bones together

At night you painted your nails

The deep purple of the sky and

Slicked your lips in poppy red polish

His cheekbones sliced through your flower-petal walls

Under the glaring July sun

He took your hand and stood facing the horizon

Your retinas burned at the sight of him

And his careless smile

But somewhere along the path

Dripping in summer golds and morning glory pinks something changes

Because now a bouquet of Marigolds

Stands where he should’ve been

He says it’s okay

Under an August moon

But there are lilies where his hands used to be

And daffodils where his lips used to kiss you

You forget the exact color of his eyes

In the sunlight

In the morning you paint your nails

The light purple of the Lavender he left you

But sunflowers won’t replace his hands on your skin

Or his voice in your ear

And flowers won’t fix the holes he left behind

They leave each other under a September sky

Fingertips are still stained

In the colors of one another

But you deserve better

Than empty promises and peonies

Left with only a mouthful of flowers

As it turns out, goodbye looks a lot like roses