Hiding Flowers

My flower is mysterious

She is my prize possession

I don’t easily share her perfume

She’s my soul’s expression

She never seems to age

As I keep her tucked inside

Though she’s occasionally admired

By some stranger passing by

But then I quickly clutch her

To my heart or in my bag

So others cannot gaze at her

Which often makes me mad

Maybe it is fear

That keeps me holding her close

Don’t think that I should reveal her

To anyone up close

If they would get a better view

They might see tatters there

The faded edges of my hopes

And my indentured prayers

They might see vulnerability

In the colors fading so

They might find in chink

In the armor I’ve so carefully sewn

But every once in a blue moon

A special soul arrives

Who wears THEIR mysterious flower

And shows it boldly on the outside

Someone who says it’s okay

To let another in

Okay to share my flower

Whatever state she’s in

And it’s then I realize

How good it is to have a friend

Someone who can accept me

Tattered edges can be damned

And when I open my heart

To let another in

I find another blossom there

Growing beautifully within

Perhaps I’ll learn to wear them

My spiritual bouquet

Instead of hiding them from sight

And hiding ME each day

May we all find the courage that’s needed

To let down the walls of our pride

May our boldness finally be rewarded

When we stop hiding flowers inside

2023 © Miriam Shanks. All Right Reserved.