when the spark in our relationship was first ignited,
he gave me daffodils
for they symbolised new beginnings and eternal life
he said it seemed fitting, since the love between us
should be treated with the same fondness and compassion
as a new life, to ensure its longevity.
“our love is spring,” he said,
“it’ll end eventually, but that doesn’t remove the beauty of it.”

and when we wed, i held white tulips
our eyes met, the sparkle in yours mirroring mine
the message my bouquet held was only legible to you
i wasn’t bringing flowers to the aisle,
only respect, purity, honour, and love
all the qualities our marriage would have

but when it died,
we bought single chrysanthemums
to place on the grave of our love
and it seemed fitting, almost
confirmed its death.
what could’ve been better to place on a grave
then the very flower of death

after all, spring had passed
the daffodils had died, each petal withered away
it was the end

-m t