James Montgomery

Soon enough, there’ll be time for twelve red roses. A carnation wrist corsage. Homemade Christmas wreaths hung from her own front door. Mason jars and glass vases crowded with tulips, just because – she’d have whole bathtubs full if she could. Flowers for fresh starts, fresh homes, fresh jobs. An ivory bouquet. Blossom-brimming wicker baskets delivered while her middle blooms. Crowns of daisy chains. Greenhouse days, growing prize-winning dahlias. Lily tributes for those since gone. But for now, there’s a girl, standing with soil-stained knees, wearing mum’s oversized gardening gloves. Watching the promise of a single new shoot, ready to bud.

James Montgomery is a writer from Stafford in the UK. He has work published or forthcoming in Truffle Magazine, Retreat West, FlashFlood Journal, The Hungry Ghost, and the short story collection Unmute from Comma Press. Find him on Twitter at @JDMontgomery_.