She observes the painting soberly –
poor Vincent – all those irises,
slate grey and twisting, clawing
to be free. She takes a picture anyway.
Later, she’s drinking coffee,
scrolling through her phone –
her Instagram all hearts and comments
that she doesn’t bother reading.
She buys tomatoes, lettuce, cheese,
and, as an afterthought, a bunch
of narrow irises, midnight blue and twisted
tightly , one half opening. In her bag
her phone chirps cheerily –
“You have a message”. She pats it absently,
defers her pleasure. Pays and walks away.
I’m hosting dVerse tonight, and I’m asking people to write about flowers, and the traditional language of flowers. I’ve chosen the iris, which means “I have a message for you”.
Sarah writes poems 
Oh I love the messages of the irises, I had to take a look to van Gogh’s irises… love them, and the twisted way it works.
LikeLike
Van Gogh, irises and messages – a wonderful bouquet, Sarah, modern with a Victorian twist!
LikeLike
Once I realized the irises stood for messages it all made sense. Nice use of the phone in the last stanza.
LikeLiked by 1 person
An excellent illustration for your prompt; using one flower to illuminate our innate need for communication. I loved your flower list. I used a dozen flowers; it came out like Victorian
code; smile.
LikeLike
I like the way you described Van Gogh’s iris…..and the message. Good one! We should ignore our phones more.
LikeLike
I love the meaning of the iris and you used it with a modern touch ~ Thanks for a delightful reading of the language of flowers ~ I had fun selecting various blooms and learning about their meanings ~
LikeLike
I love your inclusion of Van Gogh’s irises and the modern touch of the phone — really well written and enjoyable to read!
LikeLike
Beautifully illustrated …you brought old and new together so well!
LikeLike
Oh my gosh I also wrote my poem about instagram! Great poem that has me questioning- has deferred her pleasure or embraced it? Nice!
LikeLike
Ncely done the way you left us hanging on with no anwer…. just a pat and a delay! Love it!
LikeLike
Love Van Gogh’s irises…and your poem of delayed messages 🙂 Great prompt, Sarah!
LikeLike
Love how the message of nature became more important than the phone.
LikeLike
AH, this is delightful – the love of simple things, organic and grounded, takes precedence over the constant stream of messages of our times. I am one of those subsisting on the latter. So, it did hit quite close to my sensibilities. I like the images you evoke and those Van Gogh’s irises have added the last dot of color in your words.
-HA
LikeLike
Oh this is storytelling through poetry, at its best.
LikeLike
What a fabulous story!
LikeLike
Good choice 🌸
LikeLike
Well first, I adore the VanGogh paintings of iris….and now that I know they mean “I have a message” and knowing a bit about his life, I wonder who he painted them for??? 🙂
This is such a clever write with the melding of the Victorian messaging and the modern day. Love the way you mix in the mundane….buying tomatoes, lettuce and cheese. And then she defers her pleasure and waits to answer her “phone.” A great write for the prompt!
LikeLiked by 1 person