With the opening of her cage door
a canary takes a tentative step forward
carefully stepping over grass and basilshe spreads her little-used wings
shaking off marigold dust
only stopping to pick up a single yellow roseFree at last…. she sings as she soars
©Vivian Zems
Sarah at dVerse has tasked us with writing a poem using flowers and their meanings.
Grass – submission, utility
Basil – hatred
Marigold – despair, grief
Yellow rose – forgive and forget

July 24, 2018 at 9:15 pm
Oh, Vivian, you’ve taken this somewhere else. It works perfectly as a poem in its own right, and then when you see the flower meanings it takes on a whole other depth. This is fabulous.
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July 24, 2018 at 10:20 pm
Thank you Sarah!
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July 24, 2018 at 9:17 pm
reminds me of caged bird by Maya Angelou… the caged bird sings
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July 24, 2018 at 10:19 pm
Yes, that was at the back of my mind😊
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July 24, 2018 at 9:37 pm
I like how forgiving and forgetting allows one to be free at last.
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July 24, 2018 at 10:19 pm
Indeed it does!
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July 24, 2018 at 10:45 pm
How lovely this poem is…and how enduring.
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July 25, 2018 at 12:41 am
Thank you 🙂
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July 24, 2018 at 11:09 pm
Freedom at last – from the caging and soaring on one’s wings ~ Love the ending and congrats on the published book ~
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July 25, 2018 at 12:40 am
Thank you…and thank you, Grace! 🙂
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July 25, 2018 at 12:18 am
Lovely writing!
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July 25, 2018 at 12:39 am
Thanks Jo!
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July 25, 2018 at 2:00 am
I’m rooting for this little birdie!
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July 27, 2018 at 7:21 am
Yessss!
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July 25, 2018 at 2:32 am
Merigold dust and a yellow rose! Nice!
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July 25, 2018 at 4:59 am
Thank you! 🙂
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July 25, 2018 at 7:05 am
I also thought of Maya Angelou! I love how the colour weaves through your poem, Viv, as well as the subtle threads of meaning of each of the flowers.
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July 25, 2018 at 7:24 am
Thanks Kim!
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July 25, 2018 at 12:10 pm
Yellow is a cheerful color; I’m cheering for the canary…and YOU on your new book!
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July 27, 2018 at 7:19 am
Thank you….. and thank you 🙏🏾 😀
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July 26, 2018 at 4:46 am
Vivian, I love your poem, but I just noticed your announcement for your new book release and wanted to say congratulations! Please forgive me if it’s been here a while. It takes a while for me to get around to visiting to all the people I follow. 🙂 I wish you well with Tales in Teacups. That is an intriguing title.
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July 26, 2018 at 10:10 pm
You’re a better person than me for taking time to visit!❤️ Thank you😊
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July 29, 2018 at 1:35 pm
Absolutely not! I’m (way too) slowly making my way through the list of people I follow. 🙂 But I actually came across your post (if memory serves correctly) through FMF. I also participate. Have a wonderful day!
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July 26, 2018 at 6:29 pm
I like how you miss some of the meaning behind this until you know the meanings of the plants. Then it’s like a whole other layer opens up beneath the poem. Wonderful
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July 26, 2018 at 10:08 pm
Thanks Carol😊
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July 29, 2018 at 1:20 pm
Sarah’s comment…..a million times! As a stand-alone….this is beautifully write. Then add the meanings from our blossom list — this is a superb post! 🙂
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