Common Threads

two days ago

passing through

Greenville, Alabama

I noticed a mural~

Alabama’s Camellia City

fuchsia petals

and yellow anthers

adorning the corners

and thought of

my mother, who loved them

yesterday

in Hattiesburg, Mississippi

I drove past a camellia

bush of these exact colors

and thought again of

my mother, who loved them

this gentle wave from Heaven

to remind me of her

sent me on a quest

to discover more about

the Japan rose

which symbolizes

advancing women’s rights

and is used to make tea

and food seasoning

and to protect the blades

of sharp cutting instruments ~

interesting, but where is the

message from Heaven?

my brother will be at

The Masters, where the

10th Hole is The Camellia Hole

so I will tell him to look for a

sign from our mother there

and perhaps, just perhaps

he’ll see a

Freedom Bell or

Cornish Show, Inspiration,

Royalty, or a Spring Festival

maybe my own message is

here, now, ~ in To Kill a

Mockingbird, Jem destroys

Mrs. Dubose’s garden when

she insults his family but is

later given a bud from the

dying woman who struggled

to overcome her

morphine addiction

and perhaps, just perhaps

this camellia wave is

every assurance that

forgiveness of others

is the work my heart

needs to do

and perhaps, just perhaps

I’ll plant a camellia this spring

to welcome more

hellos from Heaven from

my mother, who loved them

I glance up at the coffee table

in the VRBO where I’m staying

and notice a decorative box

I hadn’t noticed before now

gold-outlined camellias

as if my mother has been

sitting with me as I write this poem

and perhaps, just perhaps

she has