FEATURED: Anemone Blue and Other Poems
by Kristine Amundrud
ANEMONE BLUE
Listen carefully.
I want you to know that you weren’t meant to
live your life as perennial corms do—
tucked away under stairs,
growth on pause,
in a black crate of potting mix.
Springtime rays beckon rebirth for flower growers
and hearts alike when sprouts
sit stunted and powerless
to reawaken.
I urge you to make a brave attempt.
Send your shoots forth
into this faded world
as a valiant plea for renewal.
The broken soul who left you to overwinter,
does not hold your freedom-pass to joy.
Celebrate breaking fetters
and rousing tendrils!
Your best loved anemones
lay dormant and expectant.
Dry calloused corms with old woundings.
But, soaked in tears—
against all odds—
they will reawaken!
You have witnessed the
transfiguration before.
It’s a sure thing!
Tiny tubers plump up
like hearts fed
a steady diet of Christ.
You must believe the same
prophesied over your life,
for you are Anemone Blue—
Blue for royalty.
No longer bound by generational chains
and buried in gardens
of mistrust and unforgiveness.
Your sturdy stems will stand strong,
confidently ascending heavenward,
never again to droop in the heat of shame.
Your satiny periwinkle blooms with dark centers
stare straight into the soul of another, and implore:
Tell me your story of revival, and I will tell you mine.
Anemone Blue,
you weren’t meant to
live your life bound by fear, seasons, time
and unwritten obligations.
You are striking.
You are stunning.
Prepare the soil of your soul.
You are about to usher in planting.
TRUE LEAVES
Yellow Radiance and Early Girl:
You came to mind in midwinter’s quiescent.
Tucked away,
your seeds brimming over
with flavonoids
and lycopene,
patiently awaiting the plunge
into soil’s dark abyss—
hopeful and asking for nothing
but the promise of future Light.
As days tenderly lengthen,
my first true leaves for a new season may appear.
Darkness has blanketed heart murmurings.
Dormant dreams swell now in anticipation.
The tomato seed cannot foretell
what luxurious chutneys it will dance in
or the hot-water baths
that will test resiliency.
Nor are futures mapped out,
but trust growth is happening.
The conditions are perfect.
Germination arises
in black spaces.
Can you sense His light?
Move toward it.
Grow, Sweet Soul.
You are becoming
Heaven's
bounty.
KRISTINE AMUNDRUD
Kristine Amundrud is a wife and homeschool mom to three kids. In the busy day-to-day, she’s pursued healing through story work and writing. Kristine hopes you will find traces of God’s immeasurable goodness in the words she shares. She finds joy creating in the kitchen, walking alongside her husband, adventuring in the Canadian Rockies, and cuddling up with her children and a good storybook. She loves friendships that go beneath the surface. Connect with her on Instagram: @kamundrud.