A Cherry Blossom

The other day, I went upstairs to clean out my mind
I wanted to discard or rearrange all my old fantasies, memories,
Emotions and prevailing tendencies

I dusted all my abstractions from reality
And straighten up unused longings and desires

I picked up all the apathy lying about and
Cleaned out the disappointments from the dark corners

I placed all the useless ones in the trash bin

I was discarding some childhood phobias when
I noticed a old book of reflections sitting on a table
I picked it up and opened it....
The remains of an old, dry cherry blossom fell out from between the pages
It cascaded down my skirt and finally landed between my feet

I paused for a moment and stared at the broken flower
Finally, recollection caught up with me and its meaning became clear

Suddenly, a tempest swept across my soul
It knocked my little trash bin over and covered me with the dust of my past

Anguish galloped in and carried me away
Taking me back to that moment
The moment he carefully placed that cherry blossom in my long red hair and gently kissed my lips on our wedding day
He held my face in his hands and said he would never forsake me
That his love for me was without bounds

I believed him
Why would I think otherwise?

The cherry blossom continued to bloom for a time
I fed it with my delusions and watered it with my foolishness

The day he walked away with the other woman, the flower died
But I could not part with it so I pressed it into a book
That was many years ago

Finally, the storm's shadow passed over me and
My heart suddenly grew sullen and frail
So I dropped my cleaning supplies, slowly walked downstairs and
Sat in silence for a time

It seems that no matter how hard I try
I cannot escape the miseries from my past
They are interwoven deeply into my spirit
And pulling one lossed strand can cause an avalanche of suffering