Flowers in water last for days,

Perhaps not as long as your

Average grass, or the various members

Of your family, but long enough.

Put them in a nice vase, in a

Nice room, with the right colours

And cushions, and they fit.

Right in, they smell sweet, and

The world's suddenly much friendlier.

Paintings, on the other hand

Are moody. They draw the light towards

Them, give little out themselves.

And there's so much choice here,

Almost too much, when we're

All wrong otherwise. You, me

We all become part of the furniture,

Painted in. so go with flowers,

Wild carnations if you will,

And die, but only because they've plucked you. Out.