Furtive Petals



Her desk had seemed the perfect place,
But soon I realized more.
I sent them electronically;
I littered her chair and floor.

I had them delivered to her office,
Without a sender’s name;
I had them waiting in her seat
When she attended a game.

I had one wedged against her windshield
At the shopping mall.
How one appeared inside her purse,
She’d no idea at all.

They showed up on her porchstep,
Where no one stood to greet;
And when she took her shoes off,
A pair replaced her feet.

I even had them dropped from the air,
As she relaxed in a park.
I slipped a half-dozen into her mailbox,
While she dreamed in the dark.

This deluge of burgundy roses continued -
My love a secret at heart -
Until one day she turned and saw me
Add one to her shopping cart.



Don L. Waddell, 1997