Lilies

The flowers I brought you
green tight-lipped lilies

will slowly open over the coming days
Then their unblemished beauty

will be revealed in all its glory
and for a while the flowers

will hold pride of place
and be the centre of attention

when you enter the room
until one day before you know

their heads begin to droop
and the leaves curl

and one by one
the petals start to fall

John Lyons