The Orchid Keeper
written by: Karen Southall Watts
@askkaren
He paid extra in the winter to keep the heat going.
In the summer always a fan blowing,
and he had special curtains to filter the sunlight.
Parasitic, symbiotic, a fragile beauty
so exotic, he thought about it every waking hour.
Special food and loving praise
all of his spare attention during the days,
and his deepest devotions at night
he lavished on the splendor kept safe
inside his walls.
Dragging through morning,
his least favorite time
reluctant to leave her side,
but needs must.
Out the door and to the world,
the memory of tousled hair, a sated smile and
the smell of musky perfume swirls
and drives him to his cubicle.
Karen Southall Watts, is an educator, speaker, coach, and avid walker. Her works have been featured at Fairfield Scribes, Free Flash Fiction, The Drabble, Sledgehammer Lit, 101Words, Paragraph Planet, Soren Lit, Spillwords Press, and The Chamber Magazine. Karen is a three-time Pushcart nominee for poetry. Her poetry chapbook, Desire, Dreams and Dust was released in April of 2023.
Latest posts by Karen Southall Watts (see all)
- Wish Nocturne - July 5, 2024
- Country Commute - April 20, 2024
- Bad Influence - January 28, 2024
