Lilies of the Valley
Lilies of the Valley–
small white bells
whose fragrance ascends
to God with puff and huff
of spring’s new breath.
They grew abundantly in
Grandma’s rock garden
among her hosta
on the shady side of her porch.
That very first spring day
when grandma brought
her glider out of winter storage
I would stand on the cushions,
climb over the iron
railing , carefully
lower myself and crouch among
those tiny nodding bells to
fill my lungs and soul with their
aroma of hope.
This poem first appeared in the Peacock Journal.
Joan Leotta has been playing with words on page and stage since childhood. She is a writer and story performer. Her poetry, short stories, and essays appear or are forthcoming in Gnarled Oak, the North Carolina Literary Review, the A-3 Review, Kai-Xin (award winner), Spelk Fiction, Hobart Literary Review, North Carolina Literary Review, Fourth River, Silver Birch, and Postcard Poems and Prose, among others. Her first chapbook, Languid Lusciousness with Lemon came out in 2017 from Finishing Line Press.When not hunched over a computer she is walking, shell hunting and daydreaming at the nearest beach.
The Paddock Review 