Black Tulips
Like the black tulips blooming in my front yard,
I have always been out of place here.
More of a winter than a summer girl,
Too cold for the fall but not warm enough
To be spring.
Neutral, maybe, is better for me.
I bloom in awkward places.
Bony knees and crooked teeth have never had a home
Here. Take this photo and remember
The last time you looked at me and knew
You were in love. You were leaving. You were
Lying. The first time I believed you. But after that,
I lost count. Gone so many times. Were you ever
Here. Look into my eyes and tell me
It was real. It was once something that you wanted. I was once
Something. You were everything.
Black coffee on the counter,
And I think this might be love.
Have you ever bought the perfect avocado on a Friday night in April?
I have. And it was everything.
It was love.
In Chicago on the bus on the green line
I saw you. I knew.
It was perfect.
You
Dropped your drink. Got the girl. Missed your stop.
It was love. In Chicago,
The wind doesn’t blow it
Berates you. For falling in love. For trusting. For being
With you it was love it was perfect it was weekends in Bronzeville
Away from the world. Just us.
And the avocado. And the lies. And the
Bullshit. I knew.
But it was love. And you were here. And that was what I
Needed. More than anything it was you.
I was the black tulip in your garden.
The darkness to your light.
I was blooming,
Just not when you needed me to.
