For R E Clennon-Powell

There was a flower with a dream Within its heart like a sun And life was like a living stream That kept rolling on and on The flower grew each day brighter And the dream steadfast yet Like a stamen still sweeter Golden rose, but could not set Time grew longer and flowers fade But a pollen sweetly holds One dream a stigma to invade And rise while time onward rolls For that pollen flourished stronger When petals shrivelling aged And could nurse the dream no longer Against life's sore sudden rage Each petal knew its day was done It could not bring still the bee Its brighter days already run The nectar dried, dry the tree But pollens are dreams holding fast To bring a seed out of gold The way dreams hold and ever last While lovers turn gray and old Their dream to hold hands, dream to walk The sea's edge kicking the sand To climb a hill and sit and talk Or plant and sow the rain glad land Or like a petal drunk with joy To dance her in the fresh wind Holding still the promise since a boy When ttrembling they halted sin It was the dream that like a sun Finally dried up all his veins The bee to pollen dance and spun But useless came the bright rains It sogged him, nothing stiff stayed When petals shrivel and falls The flower wrinkles and we fade And time tumbles solid walls Only for satisfaction then They laughed while the waning moon To its rest sadly too descend Dreaming bright amidst the ruin Of love kept O too long apart Of flowers faded in the sun Of dreams still sweetening the heart Of hopes past when time is done