My Flowers

I had a garden
full of flowers,
rich of flowers up to the edge of the wall
all the flowers, even the flower of reed,
rich of flower, rich
up to the edge of the wall.
My flowers never sneaked on the wall
even my eglantine and golden cascades.

I had an arbour of “never forget me” flowers
a dress of roses
and a bed of jasmines.
At nights, I hanged the “lantern flowers” to my arbour
and at morning, buttercup to my hair.

I had a necklace of orange blooms
which never withered.

I used to sew my dresses with pine needle
and wore digital flower on my finger.

My flowers
were all soft and kind.
My flowers had no thorn
they loved me, as well as sparrows and butterflies.

Now it is a while
I don’t know why
the lanterns have wick
and the flowers sneak out the wall.

By: Maryam Zandi from Iran My Beloved Flower translated by Mehdi Afshar