Poetry grab bag

Lilly of the Valley
Lilly of the Valley
Pale as the moon
Something in your eyes 
Is tortured
Something is wrong
And it's hurting me.

Lilly
So soft and beautiful
So pure yet painted
By the evils of the world.

Lilly
Please don't let them 
Crush your petals
And throw you to the wind

Lilly, please love yourself
From the roots deep within.

Lilly of the Valley
Don't dance for the evil one
Who cares nothing
For how precious you are
Or how tenderly you need to be picked.

Lilly
You are special
You are beautiful
And only should be treated gently
Like the breeze that blows
Like the spring sun.

Lilly
Please don't let them
Crush your petals
And throw them to the wind
Scattered
Leaving the residue of worthlessness on your lips
Forever lost
From what once was within.

-Alicia Keys

This has been one of my favorite poems for a very long time. In this poem, Keys utilizes the lily flower to represent a broken woman. Specifically, she addresses strippers and street walkers in this poem. Stanza 6 is where the tone changes and most significant in the poem. Here is where the author instills love and self respect for lily. Before I learned what ekphrasis was I painted  this a while back based on this poem. As we've discussed in class poems are about the experience they present to the reader, and when I learned who the lily was it changed the significance of this poem.