i try, most mornings, to be like the adoring husband who knows your deepest desires and presents you with beautifully curated gifts that both express his own love for you, and simultaneously fill wants that you didn’t know you had. but this morning, i’m the high school boyfriend who remembers on december 24 that something vaguely important is going to happen in the next day or so, and who races off in his rusty toyota corolla to troll the mall in a sweat for any kind of gift that will check the box. i’ve been spending whole afternoons putting images together for a big project, and it’s taking almost all of my attention. like basketball practice. like homework. like video games. and so, on this special occasion, i present you with this iris. it’s from the flower shop in the mall. it’s pretty, like all the other irises. please don’t break up with me.

greenhouse iris

bachman’s, saint paul, minnesota