Magnolia

ByMerrie Dail

Car packed
slowly
we pull away
(from the curb?)

Leaving

Dog
cats, kids
sleepless nights
final projects, exams
sprinkled throughout the city
all – left behind and wrapped
in the sultry fragrance of an early Savannah morning

Off the tree
caught in my backward glance
I break
one bud
to take with us

Every five
then ten, fifteen minutes
snap.    snap.       snap.       snap.                snap.
thirty minutes.            an hour.                    two
I take photos
the bud reaches full bloom somewhere in North Carolina
a chronicle of life

In evening’s fading light
images flash briefly, projected on the reefer door
snap.    snap.         snap.            snap.                snap.
family photos.

Similar Posts

  • As For Kites

    ByMerrie Dail

    Fascinating – high in the sky, flying free (with a safety line that might break and then again maybe not) – an exhilarating place to be. A flyer of kites must have faith to let go and toss it into the wind so it can rise to great heights. To know when to reel it…

  • The Wedding

    ByMerrie Dail

    We drove home sated with gaiety, family, friends and food Beyond the traffic noise lay stifling heat and the silence that tolls the end of summer hundreds of miles rolled by town by city Out the window ‘Korean War Conflict’ hung from the license plate of a passing van I thought of the young couple…

  • Oh Cats!

    ByMerrie Dail

    This tree stands – lights and ribbons encircling – like a million other trees. (remember the popcorn and cranberry strings? Paper chains and brightly decorated cookies?) look! what a cacophony of ornaments! laughing like stars – they silently chart our course across a lifetime. oh cats, where has the time gone?

  • Drought

    ByMerrie Dail

    Another summer of drought the Matta, Ni and Po rivers come and go signs noted along the highway At the Rappahannock I become aware how devastating the absence of rain has been there is little evidence a river ever ran through here, but Somewhere to the southeast the Rappahannock gathers its waters once again unto…

  • Balancing Act

    ByMerrie Dail

    On such a May morning thoughts of New England beckon Open windows shaded by large, old trees sun filtering through the leaves cool, breezy, fresh no overt fragrance like Savannah further south Too soon June will bring us to our senses air conditioners will drone blocking all feel and sounds of the outdoors Heat and…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *