The Lilies

by K. Olsen

Give me lilies with full hands,
As if there is something left of me,
As if I did not wither on the vine.

Give me lilies with both hands,
So I may press my lips to petals,
So I may recollect myself.

Give me lilies with full hands,
With vision clearer than my own,
With voice softer than my thoughts.

Give me lilies with both hands,
And I will recall their subtle scents,
And I will hold them as my hope.

Lilies that fade in a moment...
Lilies that return every year...
To remind me of who I can be.
To remind me of letting go.

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No Rules Poetry Contest contest entry

A fragment of Virgil's Aeneid that lodged in my brain in the hospital was the phrase: "Give lilies with full hands." As a response to grief that I felt like I needed, it stuck around pretty much the whole five days and has persisted since.

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Hope from a place of mourning.

A chapter in the book Daydreams from the Ashes

The Lilies

by K. Olsen

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