Easter Dresses
I grew to understand
the importance of resurrection
of flowers blooming after winter
of the family coming back
from the long winter
of my father’s death. The sun
startled me when I
came out of the cold house
in a new dress and a straw bonnet,
petticoats starched. Did Jesus
feel like this, eyes blinking
in the bright surprise of daylight
after the dark tomb? Lined up
for pictures, my sisters and I beamed,
a row of irises blooming
after a long wait underground.
I grew to understand
the importance of resurrection
of flowers blooming after winter
of the family coming back
from the long winter
of my father’s death. The sun
startled me when I
came out of the cold house
in a new dress and a straw bonnet,
petticoats starched. Did Jesus
feel like this, eyes blinking
in the bright surprise of daylight
after the dark tomb? Lined up
for pictures, my sisters and I beamed,
a row of irises blooming
after a long wait underground.