The Flower

A seedling…like a newborn baby, tiny, and in need of care

Planted in the warm black earth…in anticipation of a rich harvest

Through warm days and starlit nights…the sprout stretches to the sky

This same sky sends a summer storm…torrents of rain wash the earth away

The young roots lie exposed…drying in the warming sun

Strong hands tenderly lift the seedling…and re-root it in the soil

The seedling grows strong again…adding new leaves each day

After days of energized growing…an errant footstep

A crushing blow…leaving a broken stem and lifeless leaves

Strong hands tenderly lift the seedling…and re-root it in the soil

A slow recovery…but growing once again

Flooding rains and desert drought…threaten the seedling’s life

Each time strong hands tenderly lift the seedling…and re-root it in the soil.

Just a seedling…continuing on against all odds

Just a seedling…and then, one morning…from seedling to a flower

A flower…its beauty’s more intense from the scars on its stem 

A beauty more beautiful…when framed by ragged leaves

A seedling…like a newborn baby, tiny and in need of care

Planted in the warm black earth…in anticipation of a rich, rich harvest