Danez Smith - Scene: Portrait of a Black Boy With Flowers

& he is not in a casket

nor do I say roses all around him
& mean a low blood tide

he does not return to dirt

the stem does not bloom
from concrete

he does not bring flowers
to his best friend’s wake

nor does he give them
to a woman who will
grieve him one day

the boy is in his aunt’s garden
& the word does not matter

his lungs are full
of a green, full scent

pollen dusts his skin
gold as he grows