moonflower by Kayleigh Sim

i water my moonflowers when midnight falls, 

watching the wilted bulbs bloom into full 

moons. there comes a moment when i stop 

wishing for dreams and start distorting the 

reality of my own making, imagining my 

moon garden as a field of sunflowers. and 

now, faintly, i think i hear you asking, is there 

a purpose in a nocturnal flower? and you 

laugh at this star-crossed love of day and 

night, saying, we are not nocturnal. but you’ll 

fall under my twinkling gaze-- my eyes are 

never so alive-- and i’ll muse, almost bitterly: 

look at the stargazers, the insomniacs and the

moon gardeners, and tell me that i am not 

nocturnal.

---

Kayleigh Sim lives in San Diego, California, and is currently an editor for Polyphony Lit. Kayleigh is a high school junior and will graduate in 2022. She is especially fascinated with flowers, the moon, and the stars. When she is’t writing, you can find her swimming, playing the piano, daydreaming, or overthinking.