Ice encloses the tulips,

literally freezing them

in each of their states.

From round and boldly colored,

to the petals spreading out and flat, to shriveled

and disappearing,

it captures the full lifecycle.

Being encapsulated in ice emphasizes

the details in each state

and as the ice thaws,

it magnifies the changes

and the decay that occurs

until they are mere ghosts

of their original states.

As with the effects of global warming,

the tulips seem to disappear

as the ice melts

and they fade away.

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