By The Return of Flowers

Sometimes it seems we mark the years by these fine friends of ours

How sweet it is when re-appears the fellowship of flowers

Those empty vases tucked away in winter hiding places

Are filled with lupine, peony and other darling faces

Now laughing down the dusty lane of ordinary meadows

Hails Queen Ann’s Lace, daisy, flea-bane to tease commonplace shadows

The garden sings with iris plume and lily-bloom companions

The hummingbird and honey-bee drink deep from fragrant fountains

Our winter-want is satisfied in purples, pinks and yellows

We stroll or linger long beside these fine and friendly fellows

For we know farewell trembles even in life’s fullest hour

And we cannot afford to miss the friendship of its flower

The new becomes the old too soon; youth dons Time’s sweeter sorrow

How easily an afternoon surrenders to tomorrow

…as swift a season disappears in silent petal-showers

And ever still we chart the years by the return of flowers

© Janet Martin

Often I find myself comparing years to flowers, such as that year the so-and-so was blooming when…

I took your birthday picture and the lilacs were blooming already, etc…

Some years the peonies bloom early in June (at my daughter’s birthday) and other years they make great year-end teacher-gifts!

Victoria remarked recently that she misses our porchulaca flowers. They came up on their own for a few years after one year of planting but somehow the other year they didn't re-seed. We miss flowers a little like friends who have passed beyond our reach...