Pink Tulips, Observed

I bought the last batch of pink tulips at the grocery store.

Came home and set them carefully into a clear glass vase

and stared.

The tulips are the color

of the two lips of a newborn,

the blossoms' flesh cupped in yellow and white at the center.

I thought, I will take a photograph and share it.

Except.

Nothing photographs quite right when there isn’t enough light.

I carried the flowers around the house,

setting them here and there,

turning on all the lights,

even the emergency lantern,

taking one lousy photo after another.

I even set them next to the bathtub.

Waiting for sunlight to brighten your tulips

is a little like waiting for spring is a lot like

WAITING FOR ANYTHING.

More or less, it's a waste of time.

Be

Here

Now.

Is always the invitation

Is always the challenge.

Two days later,

this morning,

the sun rose on the tulips

And they are glorious.