The Last Bloom Next Door

Shot with Leica D-Lux 7

Next door to me, there’s a small patch of daisies—and one unexpected tulip—that’s quietly blooming for what may be the last time.

The property is vacant now. Soon, it’ll be transformed into yet another McMansion, erasing what little is left of its past. I took this photo not just for the beauty, but because I know I may never see this simple, natural arrangement again.

This yard holds more than flowers. It holds a story. A few years ago, a neighbor and I found the homeowner, Dave, lying at the bottom of his stairs. He had fallen and broken his neck. He passed away from those injuries not long after. The home now belongs to a realtor.

The flowers were planted decades ago by Dave’s mother, long before I moved into the neighborhood. I’ve been told she kept an immaculate yard—flowering trees, seasonal blooms, everything in its place. After she passed, Dave did his best, but it became overwhelming. Some said he had developmental issues; I don’t know for sure, but I do know he was misunderstood by many.

It took me three years to break the ice with Dave. During the pandemic, we finally had some conversations. He even let me help him clean up the yard a few times. It meant something—to both of us, I think.

Now, this patch of flowers, stubborn and beautiful, is all that remains of that story. Of Dave. Of his mother. Of what once was.