Pale pink petals dipped in blood
surround my yellow crown
and painstakingly painted stigmata.
A fragile, fragrant DNA poem
perfectly expressed.
An immaculate lily – not a failed rose.
On a recent Ignatian retreat I saw a Peruvian lily (Alstroemeria) and it made me think about what I am rather than what people would like me to be. The photo is my own and is of the lily that inspired this poem.