…and shadows

My heart is heavy with loss, like the frail cherry blossom
whose branches, long empty of her burden
still reach in silent grief towards a heartless sky
a futile gesture to the sunless hours
her petals remain, their fragrance still beautiful but out of reach
playthings of the errant breeze
tossed hither and yon, never to return
we two, lonely together, our sadness like a night blooming flower
formed of illusions and shadows that fades
and then reappear in recollection
© Ann Bagnall