THE ECHO
“The Flowers are Beautiful”
Author(s): Alysha Matthews
Collection: The Echo, Poetry,
ROLLING DIGITAL RELEASE, Vol. 2022-D
Published: Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 10:50 PM GMT-5
Retrieved: Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 6:59 PM GMT-5
Access: https://furmanecho.com/poetry/2022/11/13/the-flowers-are-beautiful
Permalink: https://thepaladin.news/permalink/magazine/636f7f0076d2a56b74011925
Started in 1893, The Echo has a rich history as an esteemed publication of student
literay and art works. It is a important location of conversation and communion among
writers, artists, and readers. The Echo seeks to publish innovative work by promising
writers and artists and to expose members of the editorial board to the process of editing and
producing a literary magazine.
The Paladin Network is Furman University's only independent student news network.
Established in 1916 as a print newspaper, it has expanded its focus to provide creative
outlets for members of the student body in addition to regualar newspaper reporting on
campus news.
Opinions in this document do not reflect the opinion of The Paladin Network, Furman
University, or any representatives of Furman.
The Flowers are Beautiful
By Alysha Matthews
The flowers are beautiful.
They match the colorful tomatoes and red peppers.
The peppers are picked, washed, and then simmered.
Olive oil and thyme dances around them
My grandmother adds the ackee and saltfish
dumplings fry nearby
She cuts an onion in her hands
the pieces join the beloved pot
She glances out the window at the garden.
The grass is tall and a plush green,
too green to be real.
The gardener’s tools are in the basement nearby,
they’ve been dormant for a while now.
The fence meant nothing to the squirrels and snakes,
They didn’t bother the gardener,
and they didn’t dare bother us as we played
and laughed
and danced
at our backyard parties.
There’s a beloved white rabbit buried here somewhere
in the little wooden coffin
that the gardener made for him so
lay the flowers at the rabbit's grave,
And the gardener’s also.