ruth
at the chicago botanic garden
i remember clinging to your red coat
as we walked through the summer stillness
marigold petals catching in your hair
i remember clinging to your red coat
you laughed bird-voiced, young again
marigold petals catching in your hair
until you forgot why you were laughing
you laughed bird-voiced, young again
you called me miss america shining
until you forgot why you were laughing
botanical names slipped from your mind
you called me miss america shining
the roses smoldered in incandescence
family names slipped from your mind
as you peeled back birch bark
the roses smoldered in incandescence
the thorns dismembered the rose vulnerable
as you peeled back birchbarked decades
returning to 1936 a red vinyl diner booth
the thorns dismembered and rose vulnerable
i remember how you cried on your birthday
returning to 1936 a red vinyl diner booth
the leaves of the candles fluttering
remember how you cried on my birth
your wild tears I bloomed from salt-stung
the leaves of the candles fluttered out
playing dress-up, your engagement ring
your wild tears   salt-stung  i bloomed
up from the roots of our    fused dreaming
playing dress-up, your engagement ring fit me
you wore a red-beaded Mardi Gras giveaway
uprooting  our   fused   dreaming
the IV  floral of breath mints  infused fluorescent air
you wore  a Mardi Gras giveaway      at the hospital
you hallucinated a  squirrel leapt  across your bed
the ivy floral of mints infused your   red coat  left behind
in the garden   winterlight     watery    you rose
your smile luminesced    a squirrel leapt  over a bed of leaves
into the sky     transcending the trees   salt-stung
i inherit    your warmth  shining