Devon Neal

In the mulch, black and scattered
like rainbeads on grass, the first cut
of its spear-leaves spread apart,
eating daylight in a quiet morning.
Its edges cleave and separate,
a green flail, the wet soil scraped
and displaced. It all happens, in the
water and air and sun, until you,
still logged down by winter’s introspection,
spot it growing again, spreading
in a young jagged pattern
and seeping oxygen into your skin,
and you bloom yourself, either texting
your wife, “the lily is back!”,
or climbing into the car, smiling.

Devon Neal

is a Bardstown, KY resident who received a B.A. in Creative Writing from Eastern Kentucky University and an MBA from The University of the Cumberlands. He currently works as a Human Resources Manager in Louisville, KY. His work has been featured in From the Depths and The Rye Whiskey Review, and is forthcoming in Moss Puppy Magazine, coalitionworks, Intangience Magazine, and Sage Cigarettes Magazine.

Twitter: @DevMinor