Regarding the Sorrow Lily
by Jodie Keenan
Now we breach the subject of lilium tristitia. Of the lilioideae subfamily, she bears striking resemblance to the common lily, albeit flowering petals black as soot. Prospering less from robust sunlight, she is more in keeping with the darker corners one reserves amongst other forgotten brick-a-brac. For watering an osmotic concentration of three hundred salt-to-water is preferred. If shed in sufficient abundance the caregiver’s own tears will provide adequate sustenance. The roots this strange flower digs are deep, oft treacherous things to maintain, however, the blossom that results, despite its morose coloring, is a thing of distinct and singular beauty.
Jodie Keenan is a New England based artist and writer obsessed with finding the beauty in the dark and macabre. She has appeared in Hello Horror, Every Day Fiction, Haunted HTML, and Passengers Journal.