white lilies

three lilies and two unopened buds. the petals are the colour of milk before the cream rises; the stamens are gold and stain everything within an inch of them. the smell is large and travels down the corridor.

the vase is porcelain with a fine cobalt line near the rim — a hairline only — and it sits on the dining table beneath the long evening painting. an aunt arranged it before lunch, snipped each stem on a slant, and patted the arrangement once at the end. she does the lilies every easter.

they will last eight days. on the third you should pluck the stamens, or the cloth will be ruined.

field-note — the cobalt line on the rim is a repair, not a decoration. the vase was broken in 1908 and rejoined with a vein of pigment that holds it together.

see also: white carnations · chrysanthemums in brass · midnight-lily · a wedding bouquet