I wasted twenty-three minutes studying the lilacs,
waiting for them to open.
I knew it was much too early, a bit too cold and overcast
but I waited anyway.
I so wanted them to open,
so needed their reminder of a little girl who loved lilacs
and the lilies of the valley that thrived beneath that massive bush.
I did not have the joy of marveling at the tiny 4-pronged floweret
that only gathers its grace when among its peers.
It was a day when only old fashioned lilacs would do.
05/17//2021