“Flowering Trees”
By Helena Maffei
Walking through Central Park
Together with my mother,
I notice the expectation in her eyes
As she stares at the trees,
Branches still barren from winter.
She is waiting for the pink trees.
For them to bloom,
For her to be able to gently grasp a branch,
Pull the delicate petals to her face
And smell spring.
The lilacs were my favorite as a child,
Because I liked purple
But also because she loved them,
And would pull the branches down
So I could smell them with her.
But the pink trees are the ones we notice now.
They are nature’s cotton candy,
Soft and sweet yet showy.
Posing like models clad in bark and petals
As I gladly take photos.
This year, I am home for spring.
No boarding school or college
To take me away from spring’s flowering trees.
We will see them together, Mom.
I swear it.
Helena Maffei is newly graduated from Adelphi University and has moved back to the UWS, where she has lived her entire life.
Wonderful poem anticipating and sharing the onset of spring. Love the cherry blossom – nature’s cotton candy metaphor.
Lovely. thank you. I remember purple lilacs in the fields near where I grew up. and of course the cherry tres are glorious.
Thanks, lilac was my dear Mother’s favorite flower. Every time l see these flowers l am reminded of the day I will see my mother, Mary, again and present her with a bouquet of beautiful lilacs!!
I love the fact that you’ve interwoven the beauty of these trees and spring with the shared love of you and your mother. You’ve depicted it beautifully and these are the kind of memories that you never forget and carry you through a lifetime.
This was great! Was a wonderful description and created various memories for all who read it.