The Japanese Anemone in the soft light
of morning raises her face.
I swore I pulled the blinds last night
against her smiling countenance,
and yet here she is again,
petals drawn open.
Might we be like the anemone,
who by rhizome spreads to take up empty space.
Tough yet delicate and blatantly cheerful
against the silvery sky of dawn,
and not needing the sun to rouse her
from slumber.
In fact, the anemone outside my window
was already awake to witness
the light inching across pavers,
turning the moss to a shining green.
Might we too then
not strain of a morning,
but feel our hearts fall fully open,
unafraid of rain or gloom.
And like the anemone
and its tough rhizomes,
with a certain trust clear
upon our features,
hold confidence in the break of day.
Ana Lisa de Jong
Living Tree Poetry
April 2023
Living Tree Poetry 