Hands in soil, coaxing life from dust,
I hold a secret, just one secret —
the way the light hits reminds me
of a summer evening —
hands, large hands, holding mine
for the briefest moment,
and my imagination spinning into flowers —
wild pinwheels
and concealing vines with scarlet funnels.
I couldn’t make him see the flowers,
and that’s how I could tell I was different.