She hid a Peony in Her Heart

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She hides a Peony in her heart

Among the folds of its pretty pink petals

Lie her treasures, her secrets, her pain

A fragrant bitter-sweet space few have known

Born in the time of blooming

Where the delicate bright light of summer danced off golden locks

Fine, nimble lines formed Her flesh

Curious, playful, alive like the season was Her soul

Then Summer supplanted by Winter’s cold sleep

Innocence salvaged, secreted, saved

Secured beyond the reach of Man or Mother

She hid a peony in her heart

Competent. clever, accomplished

Stoking the fires of others, mending their broken seams

Someone always needing Her to help, to fix, to figure out

Their assuming and her doing protects the flower of Her heart

Most days frantic functioning under calm sweet smile

But on occasion energy dissipates, walls weaken

A petal will drop from time to time leaving traces

If you would know Her follow the petals to Her heart

For She hides a peony there

And She longs to let it grow

39 thoughts on “She hid a Peony in Her Heart

  1. katenacious

    I don’t like to pick favorite poems since every single one is a universe and I am an explorer. Maybe you’ll wow me with something wowsier later, ya know, but this is wonderful. My soul took a deep breath reading it.

  2. This poem is very moving and descriptive of so many women. I especially like this part and am impressed at how well you have captured this truth.

    Stoking the fires of others, mending their broken seams

    Someone always needing Her to help, to fix, to figure out

    Their assuming and her doing protects the flower of Her heart

    Most days frantic functioning under calm sweet smile

    But on occasion energy dissipates, walls weaken

  3. Searching

    This is beautiful and in a way, I agree, sad. Energy disappates, walls weaken… That is a very vulnerable place.

  4. Hey, didn’t mean to disappear, Just got busy for the last few weeks. I’ve always thought you do much better when you write the longer ones. This is one of my favorites and I’ll be coming back to it many times until I make it all the way to the flowers bud.

  5. There is a sense of almost sadness here. While the Peony is a summer flower, that she ‘hides a peony in her heart,’ feels like, she makes a memory of days in the sun, when her flower was in full bloom, and that is still within her, and she carries it with her into her eternity. It feel a bit mournful. Yet, listening to you is like being inside that secret place where that hiding place resides.

  6. Then Summer supplanted by Winter’s cold sleep

    Innocence salvaged, secreted, saved

    Secured beyond the reach of Man or Mother

    She hid a peony in her heart

    * * * * *

    I’d say the peony was the perfect flower for this poem since it’s the one so many people use to memorialize loved ones on Memorial Day. It’s a beautiful flower, sweet and complicated, but very hardy.

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