They are easy to miss
but once spotted, it’s harder to forget
their presence, grounded like poles,
the backbones to awkwardly entangled limbs,
their mirror clear eyes holding entire
universes within.
Look for them growing alone or in small clusters,
at the sidelines of school dances and house parties,
tucked away in corners of cafes and libraries.
Wallflowers are resilient, able to withstand years of neglect
but does any gardener really know
how to nurture them to bloom?
- Approach with light steps, careful not to uproot their trust.
Have on hand a packet of sincere small talk
and another of genuine interest.
- Grow in neutral conditions, at room temperature,
partially shaded from the spotlight.
- Enrich potting mix with patience, understanding, tolerance;
filter all through honesty, and perhaps a pair of good headphones.
- Water regularly and generously,
in showers of compliments and kindness. Allow space for drainage.
Wallflowers pair well with almost any companion species, but
plant several arm lengths apart.
Now the most difficult thing is to wait
as the seasons pass and leaves change, but the heart
of the wallflower limbos in an eternal winter.
You start to wonder if bud or bloom could ever be coaxed from this strange plant;
if it has grown even a single inch since day one.
Perched atop precarious mounds of wishful thinking,
you watch and wait
for spring.
