Stars fell on Good Friday movie night
As I emptied hot, white popcorn
Into a cerulean bowl,
Cramped kernels just now exploded
Into one-of-a-kind blossoms—
Unsalted, unbuttered, and pure—
Lightness of being in my palm scoop;
The film streamed steady blue-white flickers,
But my eyes blinked and then shut down
Dream merchant tales, as my hand turned
And carelessly snowed the midnight snack
On a Dollar Store paper towel.
The shadow of a storm lumbered
Across my hearing, and winds rose;
Raindrops punched at the skylights,
Drilling my nerves with raw desire
To drift into Saturday stupor,
The self-lulling of fools fearing
March-into-April season alerts—
The cruel upshot of the mercury
From cool midnight to midday dazzle,
Worms earth-turning a bird’s eye feast,
Jonquils trumpeting color blares,
Waves of citron and tangerine,
A thousand saucer magnolia blossoms,
Purplish-pink goblets bobbling
Tipsily on bare, breeze-riffed branches.
Easter sunrise warmed dogwood petals
To full flowering, as creamy
And rose-tinged as my mother’s cheeks.
She spared the yard’s scraggliest dogwood,
And I perched on its spreading limbs
Every April, barely poking
Above a snowy field of blooms—
Until a hot updraft touched down,
Showering white dreams on cool ground.
Catherine, this is simply perfect. I can smell the blossoms as I read. Lovely lovely poem. xoxo Sharron