She Only Blooms At Night

by Meredith Loughran He takes the morning shift and basks in the warmth of the sun; drinking water from Mother Earth. He feels the pain of growth and hopes it is enough. Because nestled among his thorny arms sleeps a delicate beauty, nourished by his love. The sun wanes and he is weary. He tries to wait for his true love to awaken and gift him with her beauty, but sleep overcomes him. He is denied once more for she only blooms at night. ![Meredith Loughran, photography, cactus flower, merej99](https://images.hive.blog/DQmYyHuDLokgzgBd81L6rhZxHfXN3SBApFSypKgAhBNkqdw/cactusflower.jpg)
^{Meredith Loughran | Samsung A20 smartphone • June 17, 2021}

Having never before seen a cactus bloom in real life, I was fascinated by how big and beautiful these flowers are! They had seemingly sprouted from the large cactus in the front yard, but when I go out during the day, the flowers are always closed. From there, the words "she only blooms at night" repeated in my head. The first iteration was a sad story about abuse and being kept away from the light, but the more thought about it, the more it felt like a tragic love story. Perhaps the cactus shall gaze upon his flower one day?

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