Scorched Bloom

Bending towards the rays, 

my wildflowers open,

and fruits sweetly ripen.

The light adorns my garden,

but beneath sun-baked soil,

roots have unraveled in tangles,

and are choking each other dead.

Petals release their hold,

submitting to a warm breeze–

their cumulative beauty dying.

Prolonged exposure,

in this stifling haze,

ignites my garden on fire.

Fueled by extended drought,

and failure to tend the weeds,

Flames gnaw through with fierceness

The radiant veil of light,

That once bathed me with glow,

Has now vaporized me into ash.