abstract, from Pixabay
Water Lilies
They are dying
before me. Emerald
leaves turn ochre
and then bronze
mucking up
the once-crystal water.
No pink or white flowers
the last few weeks
no matter how much
sun they absorb.
Their long stems
strengthened by summer,
now bend to chilly
October nights.
Weakened leaves
slump to bedrock
decay around roots
create sludge, rot
on bottom as surface
ices thin layers in late
December
until spring when
Dormant no more
will be their mantra.
© Veronica Michalowski, September 28, 2021
*
After Autumn
Bare arms cover
watercolor sky,
grasp last taste
of warmth
before oncoming
snow. Sunset
secretes hope
after a hovering
moment of light.
(Previously published in her second book, One Family of Poetry: A Memoir.)
© Veronica Michalowski
A graduate of California State University, Fullerton, Veronica Michalowski received her
B.A. and M.A. in Fine Arts, Design and Photography. Her career focused in the fields
of ideation, branding, marketing, having created for such firms as Microsoft, Epson, Canon USA, Neutrogena, Crayola, Calaway Golf, Geoffrey Beane, Sunkist, and Mattel,
as well as many California wineries. She received both national and international recognition and many awards, including two CLIO Awards. She has taught fine arts
at California State University, Fullerton, as well as Riverside City College, Mount San Antonio College, and Laguna College of Art and Design. She continues to design
and paint, travel, read everything, and write often.