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VILLANELLES IV

She Always Grew Roses
by Michael R. Burch

a belated eulogy for my grandmother, Lillian Lee 

Tell us, heart, what the season discloses. 
“Too little loved by the ego in its poses,
she always grew roses.” 

What the heart would embrace, the ego opposes,
fritters away, and sometimes bulldozes.
Tell us, heart, what the season discloses. 

“Too little loved by the ego in its poses,
she loved nonetheless, as her legacy discloses—
she always grew roses.” 

How does one repent when regret discomposes?
When the shadow of guilt, at last, interposes?
Tell us, heart, what the season discloses. 

“Too little loved by the ego in its poses,
she continued to love, as her handiwork shows us,
and she always grew roses.” 

Too little, too late, the grieved heart imposes
its too-patient will as the opened book recloses. 
Tell us, heart, what the season discloses. 
“She always grew roses.” 

The opened-then-closed book is a picture album. The season is late fall because it was in my autumn years that I realized I had written poems for everyone in my family except Grandma Lee. Hopefully it is never too late to repent and correct an old wrong.

Little Sparrow
by Michael R. Burch

for my petite grandmother, Christine Ena Hurt, who couldn’t carry a note, but sang her heart out with great joy, accompanied, I have no doubt, by angels 

“In praise of Love and Life we bring
this sacramental offering.”
Little sparrow of a woman, sing! 

What did she have? Hardly a thing.
A roof, plain food, and a tiny gold ring.
Yet, “In praise of Love and Life we bring 

this sacramental offering.”
“Hosanna!” angel choirs ring. 
Little sparrow of a woman, sing! 

Whence comes this praise, as angels sing
to her tuneless voice? What of Death’s sting?
Yet, “In praise of Love and Life we bring 

this sacramental offering.”
Let others have their stoles and bling. 
Little sparrow of a woman, sing! 

“In praise of Love and Life we bring
this sacramental offering
as the harps of beaming angels ring.
Little sparrow of a woman, sing!”

Keywords/Tags: villanelle, villanelles, refrain, roses, angel, angels, sparrow, sacrament, sacramental, family, grandmother, heart, ego, season, seasons, legacy, elegy, eulogy, remember, remembrance
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