Unclench
Release
Take a breath
Drink water
Flowers unfold
Ferns unfurl
Slowly
And not because they're told
No shout shame
Pressure blame
Chase or game
Flowers unfold
Ferns unfurl
Slowly
And not to please a gardener
Neighbor
Lover friend
They don't perform
They are witnessed
When the conditions are right
With time and tending
When they're good and ready
Flowers unfold
Ferns unfurl
Slowly
Stretching toward the light of day
Radiant fragrant
Beacons of nurturance
Beauty sustenance
Vitality
Seeds of future seasons
Decades generations
Futures yet unimagined
Don't have to push
To grow
Propelled by love
Integrity life force
Flowers unfold
Ferns unfurl
When they surrender
To their own
Exquisite
Essential
Being
Jaclyn Edds Konczal | March 2022