Petals::

Ripped off the branch, unexpectedly
I didn't see the resemblance 
To those words you later spoke
That ripped the beat from my chest;
Rotting in my pocket for weeks
Those petals melted, leaving yellow stains
That seeped through my raincoat
And stopped the blood
That formerly raced through my body;
I ripped those petals off in joy
Leaping up in vain attempt
To reach something
Perhaps my surging nerves that seemed
To soar above my head;
Not realizing that I'd killed those petals...
They didn't deserve
     to be
          victims
               of my happiness.

-Kimberly N. Hunt
written June 1994

(c)1998, 1999