Tuesday, April 27, 2021

“Cherry Blossoms Are the Only Ones” by Emily R. Zarevich

 

The cherry blossoms are the only ones

allowed to litter. 

Bless them, they are royalty.

They are allowed this bittersweet privilege.

I walk across carpets of vivid

blushing pink and silky milk-white and relish

speed walking, relish being OUTSIDE 

and sorry to be caught

trampling those petals dyed like

children’s Easter eggs. I understand

why wealthy people want to bathe

in these.

These jewel-like diva tear leaves

from lady peacock trees

refusing to be brown and plain

refusing to be TRASHED

by the brutish tyrant matrons

the April and May rain

showers.

Declining to bow to the sturdy maples and

fall over and rot in a dirt ditch, as a

final tribute to a life well-lived as resplendent

flowers.

And YET, cherry blossoms remain beauty queens.

Blooming strong, rarely crowned foolishly.

***

Emily R. Zarevich is an English teacher and writer from Burlington, Ontario, Canada. She has been published previously in Understorey Magazine, Living Education Journal, Wild Roof Journal, Dreamers Creative Writing, and Prepare for Canada. She will soon be published in Women in Higher Education and Shrapnel Magazine.  

See Brian Henry’s schedule hereincluding online and in-person writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kingston, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Southampton, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

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