in between apricot hibiscus and blue hydrangea,
torn crimson hybrid tea rose petals
and plunging, descending raindrops,
soft as nature’s kisses,
in fields of strawberries, lavender and juniper
prodding me to enjoy each solitary moment before it has passed,
to hang on to each precious morsel of fleeting time
like those shredded bits of shrapnel
kept hidden in back pockets
of a ruptured, sutured mind.