Image by Lee_seonghak from Pixabay
Red Spider Lilly
If I had known that would be
the last time our lips met,
we would never forget;
I would have held our kiss longer.
If I had known I would breathe
the last of your scent,
I would have inhaled your ferment
till my lungs fell from hunger.
A thunderstorm rages tonight
on the border of day and night,
of summer and autumn,
erasing our space.
If I knew the lines between us that merged
would forever diverge,
I would have dissolved them
within your embrace.
And if you were here now,
if you appeared now,
we would sit near and allow
the storm to pass, unbeknown
But you’re a memory;
red spider lilies will bloom
anew from this autumn storm;
you walk a distant shore alone.
If I had known that would be
our last time within our lifetimes,
I swear I would have said
something more clever.
If I had known
with a kiss before parting,
I would have shared something better than
“prepare for the weather”.
A thunderstorm rages tonight
within our twilight;
hope you’ve prepared for the weather.
You are a memory;
red spider lilies have bloomed, renewed
in the space that was once me and you.
***
Originally shared on Medium.
Shared on Poets United Pantry of Poetry and Prose, 2
From culture trip: Hanakotoba: The Secret Meanings Behind 9 Flowers in Japan:
“Red spider lilies are bright summer flowers native throughout Asia. They are associated with final goodbyes, and legend has it that these flowers grow wherever people part ways for good. In old Buddhist writings, the red spider lily is said to guide the dead through samsara, the cycle of rebirth. Red spider lilies are often used for funerals, but they are also used decoratively with no such connotations.”
Hephaestus’ Waste & Cosmic Rubble 
This is really lovely! Wistful and great imagery!
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Thank you, diva. I can’t seem to find your blog. Can you give me a link?
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There is something terribly sad in “if I had known that would be the last time.” Oh yes, I feel this.
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Thank you, and I agree.
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Red spider lilies…one of the sad flowers of the Asian world. I feel this deeply. If only…two of the saddest words in our vocabulary.
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I’m both glad and saddened that you felt this one deeply. I agree with you about “if only”. Thank you for sharing.
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Oh, the things we would’ve done (or not), if only…
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Someone wiser than me once said, “If ‘if’s’ and ‘buts’ were candy and nuts, we’d all have a merry Christmas.” *smile* Thank you for visiting. 🙂
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😀
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That last stanza — wow.
Your title grabbed me! My blog is named after this gorgeous and magical flower. 🙂
Though it’s a death omen, I’m completely smitten and in awe of it.
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Thank you. I can’t seem to find your blog. Can you give me a link?
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Well, I’m not writing poetry anymore — not writing anything, really. Not even using the Internet much these days. But that one’s magicklily.
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If that is your choice, I think I understand. I thank you for taking time to visit me. 🙂
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Beautifully, delicately haunting and regretful – and all-too-common a part of the human condition.
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Thank you, and I agree with you about the human condition. 🙂
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This is absolutely stunning!! ❤️ Wow!
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Thank you. That’s high praise coming from a stellar writer such as yourself. 🙂
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This is stellar writing… and maybe we should always treat each parting as it was the last…. because one day each parting will be a red spider lily goodbye
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Thanks man. I’m glad it resonated with you.
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A deeply emotive piece of poetic writing. I liked the significance of the red spider lily. I guess it prompts both memories of life as well as a parting.
I imagined it also being set to music, with your poem as lyrics…
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