“smoke and lilies”

i lost you in sound, and found her in the color leaking
from a smoke invaded sky as saffron sun
smothers my mouth with blood red
pollen stains my hands for days after
i think of her when i look down at them and not of you.

but she lives in the spaces i’ve always imagined you,
twilight streets of white oleander leading away into the night
is coming.

on the corner an ancient magnolia roots:
i point it out to her,
though i think she’s scared i’ll miss the road.
but how can i not fill my head with spreading flowers and blackened branches?