You knelt by the fence in April, cold dirt under your knees
Little paper bags with scribbled names, like a map of family trees
Purple fans and yellow flags, breaking through the frost
You'd say, wait a week, then two, you'll see what winter lost
Mom's irises, coming back again
Every color like a story that you planted in our hands
They spread like wildfire through the yards in all our years
Mom's irises, you're still blooming here
Grandma's row behind the shed, yours along the drive
Now my kids trade muddy shoes for spades and hopeful eyes
Pass a rhizome, pass a dream, rapid mark the name
Plant it where the light feels kind and it'll find its way
Mom's irises, coming back again
Every color like a story that you planted in our hands
They spread like wildfire through the yards in all our years
Mom's irises, you're still blooming here
Some summers you were tired, but you still walked that line
Snapping off the faded stamps, making room for brighter times
Now I hear your quiet laugh, when I see that first bud appear
You're in every garden path, every petal, every year
Mom's irises, coming back again
Every color like a story that you planted in our hands
They spread like wildfire through the yards in all our years
Mom's irises, you're still blooming here
Yeah, you're blooming here