the tulips

the tulips are fading, petals spilling outward to reveal the stamens inside. mom found them at the grocery store without a barcode and the manager let her have them at no cost. they still have the bulbs attached to their green stems, mishappen white balls with a layer of brown skin. the tulips are trying to root, following nature's call even in the cut glass vase they sit in. the roots spill out of the bulbs like angel hair, finer than pasta, waving and folding up against the glass. without dirt the leaves are beginning to weep, water can only do so much without soil.

they have graced our table for several days now, complementing the striped red and orange placemats and the dark stain of the table top. I am grateful for them and the beauty they have so willingly given.