Blue Iris Of Innocence

Blue Iris Of Innocence
© Surazeus
2025 03 24

The delicate blue iris of innocence 
blooms among bull thistles, crabgrass, purslane, 
and horseweed in the fenced-in vacant lot 
with humble beauty of the faceless girl 
who arranges stones in circles of faith 
to enclose dazed silence of afternoon. 

Gold-breasted kingbird with quick darting eyes 
reigns from her nest in the mulberry bush 
with elegant grace of wind-hopping faith 
to prove that compassionate grace of trust 
heals broken-hearted people of the world 
who struggle to escape dire circumstance. 

Trapped in the bureaucratic maze of fear, 
Maria Flores stares at cement wall 
where ghostly faces of her children glow 
though seven years of loneliness have passed 
since agents arrested them on the bridge 
when they were driving home from Mexico. 

Released from detention one afternoon, 
Maria Flores walks the quiet town 
past the fenced-in vacant lot of her heart 
where ghost of her daughter arranges stones 
to protect blue iris of innocence, 
then lies down under the mulberry bush. 

Not knowing where to find her family, 
Maria Flores walks to the old church 
but the door is locked and the lights are out, 
so she works as the night-shift janitor 
at the hotel near the airport highway 
and sleeps at night by the mulberry bush. 

Attending church each Sunday afternoon, 
Maria Flores prays for light of hope, 
kneeling at statue of Mother and Child,  
to find where her husband and children live,
then walks past city park where children play 
while angels scream in pain too far away. 

Twisted branches of trees gleam in the pool 
that shimmers beside the large ice-smooth stone 
where Maria Flores, numb from despair, 
stares at calm beauty of the silver sky 
that erases gaunt beauty of her face 
and carves it on the stone of solitude. 

Kneeling before tombstone behind the church 
carved with name of her mother in gray letters, 
Zuzia Flores weeps with pain of relief 
after searching for more than twenty years, 
then looks up at sharp song of the kingbird 
who takes her heart and flies beyond the world.