Lignum Vitae Love

In purple majesty now The lignum vitae bloom Across the arid plains Moths and birds swim Upon its rare perfume And tourists stare Upon the short and stocky tree With rugged heart and strong roots That suckle water from a droughted land They look but do not understand It is the symbol of the man. My people up through rough times Come laughing each new dawn The wind blows them ragged But never a sigh, they just go on Without care for the world's rich things Each little blessing is enough To make the rugged heart sing And as this tree, the national flower Bloom beauty out of arid dust My people bring productivity From barren times With only God to trust. We are a model of the lignum vitae A sustained strength A permanent sanctuary of beauty A happiness that never relents Yet delicate in human caring As each purple pannicle of flower A Lignum vitae love Drawing each separate goal into one: O Jamaica, bloom forever.