Iris Petal, A Story And Poem Of Young Love

This poem and story is about memories of an “Iris Petal” and of being young. When you first learn to care and love someone, when all your dreams are beautiful and they dance in your imagination.

When I was in seventh grade I meet a girl named Cyndi Burgess, who was in the 6th grade. And for a brief time in my life, Cyndi and I were an item and we shared a magical connection, the “Iris Petal.” And for that short period of time she consumed all my thoughts before the reality of life intervened.

As all kids our age, we did not have control of our own fate, our destinies. Cyndi had to move to Arizona. A couple of days before she moved we spent some time with each other at Centennial Park, a park like countless parks in countless neighborhoods all across America. But to me Centennial Park holds a special memory of the “Iris Petal”, a slice of time from my childhood that was special, my time with Cyndi.

On the way home to her grandmother’s and just before we left the park Cyndi stopped while we were passing a purple Iris flower and picked a petal and with all the innocence and shyness of a young girl her age she handed it to me.

A simple and sweet gesture. I pressed the purple Iris petal and the memory in between the pages of a book. Cyndi and I swore to keep in contact and told each other all the things that kids that think they are in love tell each other.

We were going to write every day until that time in the future we could be back together. We were young, we were innocent, we just didn’t know. We did write a few letters and as our lives moved on the letters stopped.

Once in a while I would open that book and look at the purple Iris petal but in time I failed to do that and forgot about our memory pressed between the pages of that book.

Over 40 years passed and through the magic of social media Cyndi and I originally reconnected through classmates.com and now Facebook. We both have lived a full life hers in Florida and mine in Colorado.

Cyndi and I both have loved and lost, had kids and careers over the decades. But in the end, we never lost our connection and we still remain friends. Several years ago during a move and I was packing some books a purple Iris petal floated to the ground. As I looked upon the forgotten Iris petal, a forgotten memory I smiled as a rush of thoughts and feelings I had a lifetime ago.

For you Cyndi, I hope this poem does our simple but beautiful moment in time justice.

“The Petal”
I found it today, forty plus years has passed,
Rush of faraway memories unsurpassed.

Pressed between the pages of an aging book,
The tear was formed with just one endearing look.

Still holding its color, but battered and dried,
One purple Iris petal was what was left inside.

Thoughts of young love from an ancient spring,
Pigtails flying when I pushed you in the kiddie swing.

You were my first love and I remember it so,
How the sunlight caught your hair and made it glow.

It was if time had stopped and stood still,
Holding hands during the sunset from that grassy hill,

You blessed me that day with my first kiss,
“The Petal” has brought forth this enchanting reminisce.
By Kurt James

Kurt James © 2016
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Kurt James

Kurt James was born and raised in the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. With family roots in western Kansas and having lived in South Dakota for 20 years Kurt naturally had become an old western and nature enthusiast. Over the years Kurt has become one of Colorado’s prominent nature photographer’s through his brand name of Midnight Wind Photography. His poetry has been featured in the Denver Post, PM Magazine and on 9NEWS in Denver, Colorado. Kurt is also a feature writer for HubPages and Creative Exiles with the article’s focused on Colorado history, ghost towns, outlaws, and poetry. Inspired at a young age by writers such as Jack London, Louis L’Amour and Max Brand have formed Kurt’s natural ability as a storyteller. Kurt has published 5 novels all based in and around the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Using the Midnight Wind Publishing brand Kurt has also released a poetry collection - Poetry and Thoughts of a Wandering Man - (Uniquely Colorado edition) and now this collection - Poetry and Reflections of a Wandering Man (Random Thoughts edition) all are available in print or download on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads and other fine bookstores. And a few shady bookstores as well. Kurt is working on his 7th Colorado adventure tale novel “When the Song Vanishes”.

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Latest posts by Kurt James (see all)

• Just a Man Who’s Searching - September 1, 2020
• Callin’ Her Name - August 25, 2020
• COLORADO GHOST TOWNS, HAUNTINGS,TREASURE TALES, and other BS - August 24, 2020