…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 reappears
in recollection
© Ann Bagnall