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

The rugged beauty of the Colorado Rockies foothills shaped Kurt James’ life from birth, with the ever-present sight of snow-capped peaks and the constant whisper of the wind. Having spent twenty years amidst the wide-open spaces of South Dakota, Kurt’s connection to his family’s western Kansas heritage remains strong; he recalls the tallgrass prairie and the endless blue skies. Over time, Mr. James developed a deep appreciation for the landscapes and history of the American West,spending countless hours exploring its rugged beauty and studying its unique culture.

The Denver Post, PM Magazine, and 9NEWS, all well-known Denver, Colorado media sources, have highlighted the powerful and evocative work of poet and novelist Kurt James. Focusing on Old West history, Kurt contributes feature articles to HubPages and Creative Exiles, exploring the eerie silence of ghost towns, the thrilling tales of outlaws and gunfighters, and the evocative imagery found in the Rocky Mountains.

Kurt’s early admiration for writers such as Jack London, Louis L’Amour, and Max Brand played a significant role in honing his skills as a storyteller. Twenty-one books (and counting!) transport readers to the Colorado Rockies and the Old West through Kurt’s vivid descriptions; the feel of rough-hewn cabins, the sounds of coyotes howling under starry skies, and the smells of campfire smoke and sagebrush are all palpable.

Find Kurt James novels, short stories, reference books, and poetry—published by Midnight Wind Publishing—in print copies or digital downloads at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, and other excellent bookstores; explore the diverse range of formats available.

Currently in production - The 10th book in his Rocky Mountain Series - Lee Moomaw Former Lawman.

Kurt is a proud member of the Western Writers of America, a group that values storytelling.

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