RESURRECTION

The Christmas Cactus
leaned in the direction
of her slanted back porch.
Many clay pots with healthy
varieties of ferns and flowers
lived throughout the winter
in the windowed room.

She had a gift for growing
things, inside and out.
But she was gone and
the Christmas Cactus seemed
to have expired, as she had.
It was withered and appeared
to hold no life.

I wanted to toss the cactus
out of the door.
I picked up the pot,
opened the heavy door
and stopped.
I set the plant
back on the table.

We left that day
after going through
some of her things.
After looking around
at ninety-eight
years of what her life
brought to the home.

Three days after she died,
we went back to the large old house.
I walked through the musty
living room, dining room and kitchen.
The door to the plant room felt cold
as I touched the doorknob and looked in.

The Christmas Cactus
was on fire with vibrant blooms
spilling over the pot and
dropping bright petals onto
the old painted wooden floor.