Flower Dancers — Summary

Aline KilmerCheerful

To-day I played with flowers, The yellow, yellow daisies. The rainbow morning-glories And lilies pale and grand.

They held their dainty skirts out, They bowed among the grasses, And danced a tilting minuet Shadowy hand in hand.

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The speaker remembers a game she played with flowers, treating them like delicate dancers at a ball. Yellow daisies, rainbow morning-glories, and pale grand lilies aren’t just blossoms — they’re partners in a graceful, old-fashioned minuet. She sees them holding out their dainty skirts, bowing among the grasses, and moving shadowy hand in hand. It’s a moment of pure imagination, where the garden turns into a ballroom.

The mood is light and whimsical, with a touch of wistfulness. The speaker isn’t just observing; she’s lost in the play, delighting in the way flowers can become anything. The shadowy hands suggest the make-believe is fragile, almost dreamlike, but full of gentle joy. There’s no sadness, only the quiet pleasure of a childlike game that still feels vivid in memory. It’s a reminder that seeing the world with fresh eyes can turn ordinary daisies into performers and a patch of grass into a stage.

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