Poignant images suggest the stories of Nick and Amy Demetriou.

Nick and Amy's stories are hinted in the title, the haunting picture of a desert lily on the cover, and the opening line when Nick Demetriou says:

"Amy stumbles. I catch her arm and nearly fall with her."

What is a desert lily?

Like all lilies, a desert lily has a season to flower and a period of dormancy when it withdraws into an onion-like bulb to remain buried until reawakening in another season.

But the desert lily is unique. To withstand the harsh environment, the bulb becomes buried under as much as two feet of sand and sometimes waits as long as twenty years before re-emerging.

Imagine you've fallen deeply in love with a desert lily. Imagine your sadness as you watch it fade, wither and retreat into the soil. Imagine your anticipation as you await the return of the flower you adore so much that you believe you can't live without her.

Imagine, now, that you are the lily. To protect yourself, you hide deep in the sand, but your fear is so great that you sink deeper and deeper until you've
lost all hope of ever blooming again.

Ann Arbor, MI