Still they stood, faithfully, hopefully~ making me long for them and silently offer passing promises as I zoomed by with my busyness.
Then, late in the afternoon, the low-set sun was streaming through the window, illuminating the flowers like pieces of stained glass, and that was that. It was too late to set up and paint them in the actual setting sun, it was too late to wait any longer on these tired stalks: it had to be now.