FLOWER FOR EYES
i came across a garden
one day, guarded by a
gate of glass at the top
of the stairs. i walked
backwards through them,
and wonder how many
people have done the
same. i step into a world
of veils, covered in sugar-
water hoping to wear a
coat of dragonflies. your
words are etched in every
yellow brick that stands
in front of me as my ruby-
red shoes walk down
this road you paved for
me, wishing i could just
turn around and go home
to you. the birds flying
close to my shoulders
remind me of when i was
a baby, and my parents
bathed me in a bird bath.
but I never got to grow
up and fly away like my
childhood friends. there’s
a run-down church just
outside the garden. if i
squint, my eyes can paint
it. my mind rings with
ghost bells, recordings of
my long-lost selves who
once ran the clock tower
implanted in my imagination.
as i stare at the grass, i
remember that i like to
think of myself as a four-
leaf clover but i know
inside, i’m only three-
leafed hiding behind the
crowd. i’m looking at my
reflection in the pond but
i’m no Narcissus, i’d rather
ripple myself away. hello
my love, i’ll be waiting
here for you, until i
become sisters with the
statue dressed in moss.
—from 2022 Rattle Young Poets Anthology
__________
Why do you like to write poetry?
Anna Meister: “I like to write poetry because it allows me to share how I feel in a way I wouldn’t get to otherwise. Writing keeps me calm, and I like how I get to experiment with different words and formats.”
