three orchids

i have three orchids.
they were all gifts,
from my mother.

i love them.
i water them,
keep them leafy
and green.

last night i was sitting on our couch,
staring at the three orchids,
thinking how pretty they are,
even though they never bloom.
try as i might,
they just don't.
and yet i don't stop taking care of them.
i keep nurturing,
maintaining,
but no blooms.
maybe they need
a different window?
a new view?

curious.

then my thoughts turned to children,
my three children.
and how similar they are to
the three orchids.

i love them.
i water them,
keep them leafy
and green.

but are they blooming?
truly blooming?
or maybe i am so caught up
in the nurturing,
the maintaining,
that i'm not noticing
the blooms?
maybe they need
a different window?
a new view?

and then there is me.
the mama pajama orchid.
so defensive about resolutions.
change.
am i nurturing myself?
maintaining?
just barely leafy
and green,
i'd say.

and while there is a lot to be said for maintaining,
(i'm finding it completely exhausting!)
what i really want,
more than anything,
are the blooms.

the sweet, fragrant blooms.

and so there you have it,
what i am focused on this year.
blooms.
for while i am a master gardener
of all things leafy and green,
i am still learning
how to bloom.