Making papyrus

You asked for flowers, you have them.
They are not freshly picked
and reek with heavy scent, as you can see
they are fashioned from paper.
Each one was folded
to resemble a papyrus plant.
Imagine them cut,
the outer fibres of the stalks peeled
away and the inner core sliced
into thin strips - the best quality are found at the centre.
They are soaked in water for days,
to remove the sugar content.
The strips now spongy and soft
are rolled flat and dried
before being cut to the desired length.
Next they are pounded to remove excess water
and the strips are laid side by side,
overlapping slightly - another set placed
at right angles to the first.
The strips are now a sheet, pounded again
and left under a heavy stone to dry for days.
Finally the sheet is polished
to a smooth sheen with a shell.

Now imagine just one of these flowers
is my heart.