Highways and Byways: Irises across the Floor

By Maik Strosahl

—inspired by the painting
“Towards One” by Lee Krasner



To my mother,
it was a “vahz,”
fine cut crystal,
heavy glass hoisted to the mantel.
To my father,
it was just another
goddamn vase,
and who would miss it
when it broke to carelessness,
shattering and
scattering the blossoms
gathered in the morning sun?

Neither seemed to notice
the baby crawling through
flowers and stems,
water and shards.
Neither seemed to care
as I dived under their volley,
dodging their bombs,
scooping up the youngling
unharmed.

But I,
I was bleeding,
a small piece of shrapnel
piercing my hand,
though nothing so serious as
the realization
WE were bleeding.

I watched,
helpless,
as our family died that night,
punctuated with the slam of a door
that would never open again,
drowning in tears and irises
still dispersed across the floor—
blooms born
naturally apologetic.

“Towards One”
Lee Krasner (American, 1908-1984)

Copyright © 2020 by Maik Strosahl Michael E. Strosahl has focused on poetry for over twenty years, during which time he served a term as President of the Poetry Society of Indiana. He also dabbles in short fiction and may be onto some ideas for a novel. He relocated to Jefferson City, Missouri, in 2018 and currently co-hosts a writers group there. In September 2020, he started the blog “Disturbing the Pond.”