Lucia Morse; “crocus sativus"

Artist Feature: Lucia Morse / Poetry / Class of 2025

By Juliette AvRuskin

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crocus sativus

By Lucia Morse

Every year I see you again

Pushing, twisting up through the ground

Reaching for your love the sun

You greet me every year

By summer you're crushed

Clear blood leaking under cruel boots

And yet I see you again

As if to say it will be okay

I will come back again

As soft and pretty as ever

Spring’s First Crocuses

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Lucia Morse (St. Mary’s Class of ‘25) enjoys writing poetry because it is an art form that does not need to have a meaning that is immediately apparent to all readers. Rather, she strives to “capture feelings rather than thought” with her work. Lucia wrote her featured poem "crocus sativus" after seeing the first crocus of spring in 2024. She saw the crocus somewhat flattened into the ground near her bus stop, and, inspired by her love of crocuses, wrote the poem during her ride to school. Lucia remarks that she finds it easier to motivate herself to write if she genuinely loves the subject, but this might make it harder to find inspiration. She mentions that she also goes through “months at a time where I don’t write anything because I can’t find any inspiration.” However, rather than waiting for an idea to strike, Lucia takes the matter into her own hands and she will “force myself to get inspired by going to natural places or listening to music.” While her strategy of forcing inspiration does not always yield a poem, Lucia continues to actively seek out inspiration for writing. Her poetry both provokes emotion in its readers and allows them to interpret the poem within the context of their own lives and experiences.