Free Verse Poem by Neetu Malik
They are dried flowers—
picked when young
blossoms without dye, rich
with natural hues, scented
like mountain air, carried
by Spring at her finest
until they were
severed for their beauty
preserved, taken unawares
into others' storybooks
to be hidden and weighted
in alien pages
now they are
just pressed flowers
stunted, their colors faded
easily crushed between
finger and thumb
Neetu Malik’s poetry is an expression of life’s rhythm and draws upon diverse, multicultural experiences that have shaped her life. Born and raised in India, she spent several years in Europe and settled in the United States with her family.
