Cowardice

One by one,
evanescent water-lilies
turn off their light and die
refusing to turn themselves in
to the endangered prayers of motherhood
and long forgotten nursery rhymes.
With me as a witness
it’s only a matter of time
until gravity
takes them down
to swallow their holly petal powder
heated for free
by the breath of the dying meteors
metamorphosed overnight
into unexpected, braveless withdrawals
and old-fashioned lullabies.
Anonymous passengers only
are allowed to reject my apologies
and step on the hollow ice.