Ode to What I Kept in my Dresser
by Madeleine French
My willow frond withered
from soft, fresh green
into papery brown,
crunching and crackling
as it hit other treasures
when I opened
the drawer.
I kept it to remember
how glittering sunlight
turned a willow curtain
into a string of emeralds
as it gently
brushed my
summer-freckled cheek.
But who needs a leaf
to evoke
the minty crispness,
the lemony tang,
of a secret?
Madeleine French (she/her) lives in Florida and Virginia with her husband. A Best of the Net nominee, her work appears or is forthcoming in Identity Theory, ONE ART, Book of Matches, Dust Poetry Magazine, West Trade Review, Door Is A Jar, and elsewhere. She is working on a full-length poetry collection. You may find her on X @maddiethinks.
