Wild Passion Flower

I was surfing the Internet earlier today
Looking for interesting images
When I came across a shot
That caught me totally off guard

It was just a photo of a flower
But the memory it sparked was of
Something I hadn't thought about
In a very long time, maybe even in years

When I was in my early twenties
My family lived on Coltrane Mill Road
My dad had made a lamp post that stood
At the edge of the front walk and the driveway

At the base of it he had planted
Some climbing vines of Clematis and
Passion Fruit which was the photo
I found online

The memory it triggered was of an afternoon
When the vines had grown up the post
And had flowered profusely
My father picked one of them

He proceeded to pluck things off of it
When he finished, he held it out to me
Twirling it between his thumb and forefinger
Saying, "Here you go... a ballerina"

I took it, smiling my appreciation
As I looked at it I could see
Her head and two tiny arms
And a long frilly purple skirt

It was just a brief moment shared
Between my father and I
Apparently it made quite an impression
Or the memory wouldn't have lasted so long

It's the little things we remember
The most when we get older
At the time it may not have seemed
So important, it wasn't a big deal

But now in retrospect the simple act
Of a father handing his daughter
A wild passion flower
Becomes something to be treasured

A precious loving gesture from my dad

3.19.08