Bridget Joseph
Chrysanthemums
It was a year ago. The same day.
The same hour.
Time has been cremated.
I stared at the sameness of her waxed expression;
the same shroud of cellophane
masking
the white faces of death.
I asked her in. I had no choice.
‘It’s the Anniversary…,” she said, as if I didn’t know.
I took the flowers and dumped them in the sink
until she’d gone.
Then, without unwrapping them, I cut off their stark,
coffin-clean heads;
folded the stiff green stalks until the bunch was small enough
to crush into the bin.
White chrysanthemums
must be for someone else.
The same hour.
Time has been cremated.
I stared at the sameness of her waxed expression;
the same shroud of cellophane
masking
the white faces of death.
I asked her in. I had no choice.
‘It’s the Anniversary…,” she said, as if I didn’t know.
I took the flowers and dumped them in the sink
until she’d gone.
Then, without unwrapping them, I cut off their stark,
coffin-clean heads;
folded the stiff green stalks until the bunch was small enough
to crush into the bin.
White chrysanthemums
must be for someone else.
Page(s) 24
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