of: Flowers

save your sorrows for a day when your joy threatens to
leak out of your sides, tearing the corners of your lips -
collect them, then put them in a well-lit place, where the windows
let the sky in, where the breeze can carry an echo, so
when you sing, your neighbors can hear a little, too

save your sorrows for the first weeks of april when you
collect year-old dust, and reorganize the shoes you
have grown out of - place your sorrows in a pot with soil and
wrap them when the trees must be wrapped, too

water your sorrows, every two to three days, and spray
their leaves with a light mist - and as they grow, remember to
tickle their petals, because science now says, plants can learn, too

harvest your sorrows, in bundles - cut them low on the stem
and rearrange them - recall: some sorrows are small and damp
like the night, while others are too large - even for condolences
give them names, like ambros and mella, then tighten them together
with a bow

though you will be busy caring for your own,
remember: prepare to receive them, too 

keep an empty vase in the room where you sing so loud
your lips crack, so you are ready when someone gifts you theirs -
and when you receive their burden,
hold them high in the breeze that echoes with your voice,
shaking like spring showers - calling down the sky,
reminding your neighbors: sorrows can be sweet, too

“sweet like” - published in-print by Spectrum Literary Journal vol. 63, 2019