Wildflower Country

Bellis Perennis

I think I miss you. I’m not sure what of you there is to miss. Press me between the pages of your favorite book. Weave me into a crown. I am not sure what to do with myself these days. I miss you even as I remember your chubby child hands holding me too tight and the way my petals wilted. You didn’t mean to hurt me, but I think that makes it worse.

Gramineae

The grass is singing. You wait for the ticks to bite.

Dalea Candida

Somewhere out there is a pond and it stinks of algae and rot. Someone told you they dump bodies in it. You would not know it is there if not for the smell. There is an island at the center, and you dream of running away and hiding there where no one would find you. It is better to be a frog than a girl.

Liatris pycnostachya

I am not sure why I tell you the meanings of flowers. Once I saw my mother toss roses in the trash. “All flowers do is die”, she said.

Silphium laciniatum

Some wildflowers have no meaning.

Daucus carota

In the schoolyard red berries fell from trees which could not be eaten. A flower can be a hundred blooms. I collect bouquets and then have to leave them outside. They do not let me go out into the field, but they do not watch me either. Perhaps I should have run away. Perhaps I should have stayed. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I think that makes it worse.