I am flowers, everything I feel and know 
teasel, thrift, and trefoil 
more types of blossom than even you realize 
chamomile, cowslip, and cornflower, 
and all of them, all of me, 
friends to those who buzz, fly, and flitter

though I am a thousand natural things 
anemone, aster, and azalea, 
forced into a human’s shape and intrigues 
snapdragon, speedwell, and sweet pea 
maintain my synchronicity with nature’s 
patterns and its pollinators

even when stems snap, and 
daisies, dahlias, and daffodils 
cry out at the sundering 
hyacinth, hellebore, and heather 
still connect and continue, borne outward 
through nectar and pollen, never lost

take apart the bouquet of my soul 
pimpernel, pasque, and primrose 
if you think it will make you happy 
larkspur, laurel, and lily 
warped from petals into feathers 
I will survive in a million places 

nourished and made brilliant 
by bees, butterflies, and bats

[Devan Barlow is the author of the Curses & Curtains series of fairy tales-meet-musicals fantasy novels. Her short fiction and poetry have appeared in several anthologies and magazines. She can be found at her website devanbarlow.com or on Bluesky @devanbarlow.bsky.social. She reads voraciously, and can often be found hanging out with her dog, drinking tea, and thinking about sea monsters.]