Selection from "All Along You Were Blooming" by Morgan Harper Nichols, contributed by Anastasia Davi (2025)
This poem is from the collection All Along You Were Blooming by Morgan Harper Nichols. I’m especially drawn to the opening lines: “I want to plant bellflowers in unexpected places.” This phrase became a personal touchstone and mantra for me as I navigated the loss of my mother to drug addiction. In the wake of such grief, the image of planting something delicate and beautiful in unlikely soil resonated deeply. It offered me the hope that beauty can be found within brokenness and that laments could one day be turned into love songs. To me, these words beautifully express the quiet, persistent choice to be tethered to hope, even in the midst of despair. I deeply believe that, however unlikely it may seem, loss and suffering can shape us into more tender, compassionate human beings—people who still believe that something living can emerge from grief and people who choose to plant bellflowers when and where they are least expected. It’s a powerful metaphor for our capacity to find silver linings and to trust that healing and growth are possible even when unexpected.
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