Spring Flowers Grow Memories

3/19/24 SOLSC Day 19

This is not the slice I thought I’d be writing today. I had plenty of ideas – snow (again), another gym story (maybe tomorrow), camping plans… But this is the slice that wrote itself today, after I took a picture on my way out of the house to the gym.

A dusting of snow swirls, 
so little it’s barely seen.
I see it touch 
the pretty purple flowers that decided
spring was here.

I remember the journey these
pretty plants have taken.

I see the ground covering green 
with the tiny purple flowers
growing around the side of the house 
where I grew up, 
around the back,
making a beautiful carpet of green. 

What is this called again? I’d ask you and you’d tell me.

I see the ground covering green 
with the pretty purple flowers
at the house where the boys grew up.
You brought cuttings 
and we planted and planted and planted them.

What is this called again? I’d ask you and you’d tell me.

I see the ground covering green
with my favorite shade of purple
that I brought with me
to MY house,
the first house I owned by myself.

I snuggled them into the dirt, 
encouraged them to spread out. 
I couldn’t wait for you to see my house.
I told you that
the green ground cover was growing so well.

What is this called again? I’d ask and you’d tell me.

I cried when I clipped cuttings
to take to this house, 
the house where it was too late to ask

What is this called again?

The cuttings from my house,
my kids’ house,
my mother’s house 
my grandmother’s house

Periwinkle.

It’s called periwinkle.

It’s hiding on the ground of my kids’ house

Look how full it was at MY house

Our current house. Can you see the dots of snow?