Orchids observe from the table in a jar,
Confined to show their beauty on an understated table.
A few drop a petal or two in despair;
Still others preen, faces tilted proudly. 
It's hard to say which takes more strength
Knowing the time to say goodbye draws closer.

My dress arches, displays itself gloriously 
Without shame, bent over the wooden chair
Hard and unrelenting and likely to cause damage.
White and gold panties strewn unceremoniously,
Not afforded the dignity they deserve, covered only in scattered change,
Random bills and black tube of deeply-colored lipstick.
Elegance is so fragile, easily demeaned. 

From the hallway, the shadows of so many yesterdays
Compete with the foreboding voice 
Warning fruitlessly of tomorrow.
A strand of light does not punctuate,
Seeming content to turn a blind eye
Lest it be eclipsed. 

Lightning shudders at your window, 
A hollow reminder of danger lurking,
Calling your name in an ecstatic boom of thunder.
Words are an afterthought.

You and I, we have always loved the rain.
Some are meant to dwell beneath the clouds,
Forever seeking shelter from storms of their own creation.