Roses began

                             as five-petalled flowers

and tulips come from Nepal

or did she say Turkey?

So easy to check

and yet I resist

instead I unfocus

I didn’t know some people

have difficulty blurring their eyes

it’s another skill which must be learned

When what’s taught is to focus

or colours and shapes might bleed

like hours and days

As the present falls seamlessly into the past

this breath always another

—until it isn’t

I recognise the fading

beyond the blur and my tilt

as gravity takes hold

I used to wear florals

but they say they age a woman

I used to wear the skin of a child