Larkspur

they say larkspurs
mean lightness

but I have seen
how they rise
through ruin
roots caught in stone
petals trembling against the wind

like my heart
reaching out
longing for a perfect love
I cannot hold

they do not ask for gentleness
they bloom in spite of it

their blues are deep devotion
their purples born
from love that overflows
from hope

I see how they stand
thin-stemmed
foolish in their grace
yet unbroken

the way I stand
after loss
tattered
but still lifting

hands reaching for a light
I cannot touch
a love I know
but cannot claim
a presence glimpsed in dreaming

we call them delicate
because we mistake kindness
for weakness

but the larkspur knows
it takes fierce courage
to keep opening
to lift my heart
and keep reaching

for a love
not found on earth
but belonging
only to heaven

Reviews

[Jansy]

Roma, this is stunning. How the larkspur becomes a mirror for resilience; delicate but unbroken, trembling yet reaching.

The way you trace hope and loss through something so fragile makes the poem feel both intimate and vast, like the heart itself is stretching toward the sky. It lingers, that quiet courage that keeps opening, keeps lifting and somehow, you make me feel it without ever forcing it. Beautiful work.

[RomaJ]

Jansy, thank you so much for these beautiful words. I love how you captured the delicate tension in the poem..the fragility and the quiet resilience of the larkspur. Your reflection is appreciated.

[Chris Shaw]

Exquisite poetry Roma. You take the beautiful and delicate flowering larkspur and appreciate its struggle for existence. It’s fight against the elements to survive. Deeply felt and much admired poetry. Visually stunning.

Chris

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, Chris. I love how you captured the struggle and beauty I hoped to convey. Larkspurs, to me, are such a quiet act of courage..trembling yet unbroken..and I wanted the poem to honor that resilience. I truly appreciate your thoughtful and generous words.

[Michael Sun Bear]

You speak so beautifully of strength bound in sadness. I will now seek out larkspur, I want to see this flower for myself. For me, your last four lines gave this a kind of hopelessness, to think of a life spent seeking, wanting a love so perfect it is Divine, not to be found in this life but the next.

[RomaJ]

Thank you, Michael. That means a lot to me. Larkspurs have always felt like emblems of both sorrow and endurance.. fragile, yet reaching toward light with such quiet grace. I love that you want to see them for yourself; they carry their own kind of poetry. You read the ending beautifully..it does hold that ache for something almost divine, something just out of reach. Perhaps that longing is what keeps us tender, still searching, still alive to beauty.
..Roma

[Kady R.]

Hiii RomaJ,

I too enjoy gaining inspiration from nature. There is so much we can learn from the natural world and it also makes for great poetry. What a beautiful poem about longing for love in juxtaposition with the larkspur. I'm on the same boat Roma so this poem for me was very relatable.

Here's to hoping.
Kady

[RomaJ]

Hi Kady, thank you so much. I’m truly touched that Larkspurs resonated with you. Nature has a way of holding our longings and reflecting them back to us, and it feels like a quiet gift when others recognize that in a poem. I’m grateful you shared your connection..it makes the poem feel even more alive. Here’s to hoping, indeed.

[Kady R.]

Hii Roma!!
I love nature poems and metaphors. Something about connection through writing. There's definitely a power to it.

Here here!!
Kady

[RomaJ]

Hi Kady! I couldn’t agree more..nature has a way of saying what the heart can’t quite find words for.

[Kady R.]

Soo trueee!!🤗🤗🤗🥰🥰🥰

[Thomas W Case]

Vivid and sharp. Powerful work.

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, Thomas. I really appreciate that. I wanted the imagery to feel alive, like the larkspur itself..fragile but stubborn enough to bloom through stone. I’m glad the poem resonated with you.

[Davidgeo]

Larkspur are lovely and resilient plants, I know them as Delphinium. As lovely as they are, they are also highly toxic to most animals when ingested. But they are so lovely. ha.

Your poem is also lovely. It's a pleasent analogy. You do good work with the poetry. You do the Larkspur justice.

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, Davidgeo. I truly appreciate your kind words about the poem. You’re right about larkspurs being Delphinium and highly toxic to most animals, which makes their resilience even more remarkable in my mind. They are beautiful, delicate, and strong, whether in temperate meadows, grasslands, or mountains, and many gardeners also grow them in flower beds and borders for their vibrant spikes. It’s fascinating how something so fragile-looking can hold such power and caution in nature. I’m glad the poem resonated with you, and your reflection adds another layer of meaning for me.

[Davidgeo]

Power to the Delphinium!!

[John the Baptist]

The Larkspur flower is used here as a metaphor for the speaker, who has unfortunately been disappointed in love. There is no sign of bitterness, nor of giving up on the whole thing, for the Larkspur is described as very resilient and patient. Future love is not written off. The last verse, however, comes across as a possible reassessment of attitude. Perhaps the speaker has been seeking heavenly perfection in love, something not found in the human species. Not even the Larkspur could find that.

[RomaJ]

Thank you, John. I truly appreciate your thoughtful reflection.

" seeking heavenly perfection in love, something not found in the human species."

That's right. It is not meant to be about a disappointment in love, but rather a deep yearning for a transcendent, spiritual love that cannot be found on earth and can only be fulfilled in heaven.

The larkspur felt like the perfect symbol for that delicate, courageous reaching..fragile yet unbroken, always striving toward something higher. Your interpretation deepened my sense of how the poem reaches others, and adds another layer of meaning for me. I appreciate your thoughts. I’m grateful you connected with its longing.

[Betty Hermelee]

A very moving piece; words intertwined so delicately with the Larkspur, with petals of strength, and fortitude....they are courageous and uplifting....and so is your heart....they are not weak and neither is your heart....they are the symbol of hope and so you are as well....you mix color and emotion to show us there is a love, perhaps not hereon earth, but in heaven......."keep reaching"....beautiful!
Warmly, B

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, B. You have captured exactly how I was feeling while writing the poem; the yearning for a love so transcendent that it cannot be fully found on this earth, only in heaven. I tried to weave that longing and hope into the larkspurs themselves, and it means so much that you felt that courage and heart in the piece. Your thoughtful reflection truly honors the emotion I wanted to convey. I truly appreciate it.

[Betty Hermelee]

It is my pleasure Roma!
Warmly, B

[Soren]

Wow! Roma the message in this one is magnificent and the wording and metaphor are just as good. I love you use the colors as symbols and the flower itself. The line the struck he hardest was that people mistake kindness for weakness. It is so true and sad at the same time. A most lovely write that has a wistful and haunted quality to it as if a voice calling out from a mountain top and heard in a dying echo. Loved it

[RomaJ]

Thank you so much, Soren. I’m glad the poem resonated with you and that the colors and metaphor came through clearly. I especially appreciate your reflection on the line about kindness being mistaken for weakness .. that was a truth I wanted to capture, and it means a lot that it struck you. Your description of the poem as wistful and haunted, like a voice echoing from a mountaintop, beautifully captures the tone I was hoping for. I truly appreciate your thoughtful and generous words.

[Soren]

It is my pleasure to read good poetry Roma and yours is always good

[Kenneth The Poet]

The larkspur is not my favorite winged creature, but you have made a case for it to be. I enjoyed this piece. It made me feel a bit happier today. Thank you for sharing.

[RomaJ]

Thank you, Kenneth. I’m glad the poem brought you a bit of happiness today. I actually have a fear of winged creatures, but I must admit, I wouldn’t mind a larkspur..it might just become my favorite winged creature too. I truly appreciate your kind words and thoughtful reflection.

[Abbe A]

flows nicely - feelings well noted - well done

[RomaJ]

Thank you, Abbe. I’m glad the flow and emotions of the poem came through for you. Your kind words mean a lot, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to read and reflect on it.