“Diphylleia Grayi or Skeleton Flower” © 2018 Rebecca R. Pierce
If my smiles seem sunlit
I crowd my pale face in to fit
I am a wish that is in vain;
Invisible in the rain.
Here is a truth I have gleaned:
You must shine to be seen.
Do not believe the form I feign.
Invisible in the rain.
A transparent drop will erase
The painted mask of stoic grace.
I am but sorrow’s stain
Invisible in the rain.
Under the hush of my regret,
Comes the trickle, cold and wet.
I am but a song’s refrain;
Invisible in the rain.
Crystal cracked like winter lace,
My arms fade; a failed embrace.
I am a ghost on the wane;
Invisible in the rain.
The showers pour, the rivers run
Washing away lies of the sun
Can you see me, sense my pain,
Invisible in the rain?
*Author’s note: Hi! If you’d like to learn more about the skeleton flower, check out this YouTube video.