Right on Time

One lone tulip blooms in front of an abandoned house in my town. It's not only the only tulip, it's the only flower, period. This house has been abandoned for at least ten years. The very small lawn is kept mown, the house is right in town, but the open curtains never move, the lamp in the upstairs side window is askew at the same angle it has been for years, the piled-up newspapers in another window only slightly settled and paler than they were last year. Looking at this rose's red and yellow petals and healthy cluster of leaves, my own mother's favorite variety of tulip by the way, I can't help but wonder about the people that planted it. Was it perhaps a Mother's Day gift? Does some spirit still lovingly gaze upon it from those forlorn windows, going about its daily chores, not realizing its day is done? Most perennials continue to grow and multiply, yet there are none at this seen-better-days home. Tulips on the other hand, are a "weak" perennial in my experience, they need to be replaced every few years to continue blooming. And here is this solitary and beautiful tulip still proudly blooming right on time for today, Mother's Day. I hope the "lady of the house" is at peace today, if not the rest of the time.

Happy Mothers Day 2012 to all of those with solid bodies and to all of those without!