Tristan Robert Lange

Closed Open in Bloom

Remember when nascent love was on fire?

In an age lacking the cold northern wind?

The warm sensual spring’s daffodil bloomed—

Recalling when young love was a wildfire—

Transmuted into a blooming rosebud

Opening to the stamen’s gentle touch.

The hot sexual summer’s petals bloomed—

I recall when our love was a wildfire—

Your pistil awaiting our chance at life.

Transmuted into a blossomed rose bloom,

Wide open to my stamen’s strong, firm touch,

Recall when our love was a burning fire.

In your bedewed, exotic summer bloom,

Your pistil received our chance at a life.

That is when the cold northern wind came and

Reverted your bloom back into a bud.

Now mostly closed to my heart’s need to touch,

Remember when our love was a warm fire,

The warm spring’s sensitive daffodil bloomed?

Your pistil—my stamen—created lives.

What gorgeous lives they have turned out to be;

Yet, still, when the cold northern wind came and

Reverted you back into a shut bulb,

And closed you to my gentle lover’s touch.

The early sensitive flower unbloomed—

Yet, our pollination created lives.

Remember when love was a raging fire?

I truly love you and this life we’ve made;

What a gorgeous life it’s turned out to be.

But you’ve reverted back into a bulb,

And closed me from your gentle lover’s touch.

The early spring’s lone daffodil unbloomed;

Still, our pollination created lives.

I’ll always recall when our love was fire,

In a time without the cold northern wind.