Poetry

Tulip Girls

Posted on by Khaya Ronkainen / 36 Comments

All that compost sticky and messy, hidden in the dark
makes for fertile ground. Kindness sprouts
and tulips bloom as shadows banish
in nightless nights

Brightly coloured heads applaud sunshine
but blooms carry dreams of a girl
naive and hopeful for a place
under the sun

Tulip girls with godlike ease and radiance
sing a song, celebrate imperfection
and invite all who dare
to dance lightly
with life

Note: The creative process can be lonely because every creative work requires that solitary time. But support from others who know that alone-ness can sometimes be riddled with doubt, insecurity and madness, encourages me to embrace my imperfections. Thanks to Sanaa Rizvi for the reminder that “Imperfection is Beautiful.”

Tulip Girls by Caitlynn Abdow

Also, my special thanks go to wicked Magaly Guerrero for her continued support and for the giveaway. Many thanks to the dirt worshipper, Caitlynn Abdow for her generosity and sponsoring this outstanding artwork below. I’m humbled and honoured to have these exquisite “Tulips Girls” in my home. Please take time and visit this amazing artist’s site, and marvel at how she tells stories of mythical surrealism.

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Khaya Ronkainen
Khaya Ronkainen is a writer, poet and creative professional. Her blog focuses on all things poetry and creative nonfiction.

36 Comments

  2. Woo hooo ❤❤ firstly, congratulations for possessing the absolutely gorgeous piece of art “Tulip Girls” by Caitlynn Abdow. Secondly, what a magnificent poem! Love the reference to the girl from your previous poem “Has it begun to sprout” for it lends its shared magic to your existing poem. Indeed, we should celebrate imperfection as it is the very essence of our being. Beautifully rendered.

    Thank you so much for participating at Prompt Nights Khaya and for your constant love and support ❤❤

    Lots of love,
    Sanaa

  3. Congratulations on your new art piece. Your words work wonderfully with it and alone * you can believe me as I am regularly found elbows deep in sweet sticky compost lol* 😀 XXX

  6. The sticky and messy parts of life do often make creative gold-dust – but i agree sometimes it would be good to swap that for a little less alone time..glad to have you at Sanaa’s prompt – yay to Sanaa too 🙂

  7. I like the hopefulness in this piece. There is an acknowledgement of the difficulty involved in blooming, while still reaching for the joy of it.

  10. With them, I shall dance! Love the musicality and brightness of your poem, it definitely feeds a tune into the girls’ roots.

    I am so glad you and your muse like them, Khaya! ♥

  11. Love it! Our imperfections are sometimes what make us unique, and therefore perfect. ?

  16. Thanks Gina, I feel really lucky and inspired by the art piece. 🙂
    I’m also glad to hear that you’re not afraid to get your hands dirty by digging around the compost. 😀

  19. Oh, the elusive gold dust! Thanks Jae. 🙂
    With all the commitments and season’s activities at this stage, it’s good to have guiding and inspiring prompts. Many thanks to Sanaa.

  29. The creative process can be lonely at times, and I’m glad you’ve given voice to these feelings. I’m even happier that you have people to support you during those times!

  30. no matter how the ground is made fertile but it always sprouts kindness and tulip smile…a perfect celebration of imperfection….also agree with what Rosemary says 🙂

  31. Thank you, Josh for your kind words and encouragement. And yes, sometimes when we give voice to feelings they become less intense. 🙂

  32. Thank you, Sumana. I’m happy to hear that I did the artist’s vision justice. And the tulips make my heart sing. 🙂

  35. Beautiful piece Khaya. Perfection is not reality and it’s too bad that society places such a high regard on something that is unattainable. I like to call it perfectly imperfect. <3

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