GARDENIAS
Gardenias whisper secrets
in the ears of young girls.
Gardenias promise love and proms,
everlasting youth and joy.
Gardenias and young girls belong together.
Even years later, they continue to exude
perfumed remembrances
from the pages of books
where they have been lovingly sheltered.
Gardenias still bloom in my garden.
I pick them reverently,
and place them in bowls
where they fill my room
with the fragrant essence
of young girls.
