Amaryllis

Lily Kramer Roth

"/" indicates line breaks.

I. Bulb

cocooning./in the winter it sleeps/awaiting the expulsion of colour into the world./the earth churns out a sprout/and, later, the bees will breathe unto them a soul.

II. Stalk

in a pot by the window/it sits on a stack of/books,/green neck moving heavenward/while the record hums:/our love is like the flowers/the room is cold but its/green head tilts to the sun/ready to burst forth ruby red./the rain and the sea and the hours/how long till the musical/cacophony ends?/how long till the graceful/transformation begins?

III. In Bloom

hearing the birds muffled singing from outside/the sun rises, blinds/drawing light lines over the room./red velveteen petals open to delicate insides./crimson stars in the bleakness of late winter./for one moment of brilliance/you guide me,/striving through the window/signaling the coming spring/before being beheaded—