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Writer's pictureMarías at Sampaguitas

Prose by Ennie Marie Dacut Ilasco

“a boy named heliotrope”


heliotrope sprouts from

the palms of his hands,

the dirt sifting between

his thin fingertips;

eternal love in the shape

of little pale clusters.

when he touched me

the earth sang in rejoice;

every kiss buried me

deeper within the soil.

i loved him in the way

the flowers love the bees

and the trees love the birds:

naturally, as if i’d loved

him my entire life.

his affection planted

a home beneath my feet,

blooming different colors

that he made into

a crown for me.

but heliotrope also

symbolizes devotion—

if not to me, then

the fruit that he bears.

what once was birch

has plunged acacia

down into my roots

until i become one

with the reddish bark of

immortal, unrequited love.

i love him in the way

the flowers love the bees

and the trees love the birds,

in which bees must move on

and birds must fly away—

naturally yearning for him

to find my heart in the

overgrown foliage,

to come back and tell me:

“my darling, forgive me,

for nature marches on.

seasons change, life dies,

winter falls cold and heavy.

but like a bee makes honey

and birds make their nests,

spring brings abundance again.

heliotrope sprouts from

the palms of our hands,

proof that love will sift away

only to plant itself and grow.”



Ennie Marie Dacut Ilasco (she/her) is a current student and mental health advocate of San Diego State University majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies. She is the creator and president of the mental health organization The Bandage Project. When she is not working on school or the Project, she loves to paint, learn languages, and write poetry and prose. You can find her on Instagram at @ennie.marie and her organization @bandageproject.

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