Come Here in Spring When the Coral Tree Blooms
By Niall Twohig
May 1970 Peace Memorial, Initial Designs
Come here in Spring when the coral tree blooms.
Red flowers for you, George Winne Jr.
A reminder of the fires of war
that scorched your heart and mind.
But not only that fire.
Let these flowers
remind us of a fire
that doesn’t burn flesh
that doesn’t scorch land.
A fire that cuts through darkness
that attracts people who are alone
that warms them when they near.
A fire that brings them to this circle,
this center that never holds
but that reforms time and time again.