First We Are Flowers

First, they were leaves. They evolved
For reproductive functions.
They were never stems or trees,

Never whole organisms.
Still, in their ephemeral
Blossoming, you saw yourselves,

Saw metaphors for your own
Seasons of grace and decay.
You identified with them,

These body parts of some plants,
Extravagant, glorious,
Suddenly here, suddenly

Gone. Above all, suddenly
Gone, shrugged off from stems and trees.