Flourish Right Now
(inscribed on a bookmark commemorating
the 65th birthday of someone named Deborah)
One recipient of this party favor has left it forlornly behind
on the orange seat of the J train.
I picture the birthday girl handing the tasseled bookmarks
to partygoers as if addressing a bed of peas and carrots:
Flourish right now!
Even with your 65 years, Deborah, you don’t seem to know
that to flourish takes time.
There’s the quality of the soil to consider,
the access to sunlight, the typical environmental assaults.
Not everyone can sprout luxurious foliage, and no one
can do it overnight.
Besides, dear, it’s a party. Dispense with the directives.
Or if you must, may I suggest alternative messages for next year:
Do What You Can. Hang in There. Have Some Cake.
(inscribed on a bookmark commemorating
the 65th birthday of someone named Deborah)
One recipient of this party favor has left it forlornly behind
on the orange seat of the J train.
I picture the birthday girl handing the tasseled bookmarks
to partygoers as if addressing a bed of peas and carrots:
Flourish right now!
Even with your 65 years, Deborah, you don’t seem to know
that to flourish takes time.
There’s the quality of the soil to consider,
the access to sunlight, the typical environmental assaults.
Not everyone can sprout luxurious foliage, and no one
can do it overnight.
Besides, dear, it’s a party. Dispense with the directives.
Or if you must, may I suggest alternative messages for next year:
Do What You Can. Hang in There. Have Some Cake.
Melinda Clemmons lives in Oakland, California. Her stories and poems have previously appeared in Kindred, Eclipse, The Cimarron Review, 300 Days of Sun, Cavalier, and The Monthly. She is a frequent contributor to the online child welfare and juvenile justice news site, "The Chronicle of Social Change."