IX. Lavender - May 24, 2023

Even the hint of the frangrance of lavender

takes me to a soft bed with a puffy white duvet

and rich purplish-blue satin sheets, the color for royalty.

I rest my head on a perfectfly fluffed pillow,

thinking that I must be in heaven.

As I continue to relax on the bed as the scent

permeates the air all around me.

I hear the soft playing of a harp not too far away.

I am transformed to a child again,

and my mom of my youth is at the bedside.

She is reading one of my favorite bedtime stories

about a little turtle who is afraid of the dark.

I did not realize it's night, but I feel

perfectly relaxed, comfortable, safe, and loved.

The thought that I'm in heaven enters my mind again,

as I start to drift to sleep in calm anticipation knowing

joyful dreams await. I close my eyes and take a breath through

my nose, full of the cleansing smell of lavender.

And then, I'm standing, holding a lavender sprig

in my hand, only to realize I had been daydreaming.