Althea
Morning light bleeds color into the smoky night
The orb of dawn seeps out from behind the hills
Pieces at a time until made perfect
at the crest of a knoll.
Awakened in a mound of earth is a withered flower
Stroked back to life by golden fingers
Petals soft and unsure
Coaxed open by moist daylight’s song.
Endless is its name, endless is its beauty
A smile tender and fanned about a crimson heart.
Althea is a blossom that rises with the sun
Is put to sleep when the white moon appears
Because every day is a new life
it does not fear death.
___
FYI: The rose of Althea, or 'Hibiscus Syriacus', is called 'mugunghwa' in Korean. 'Mugung'
means 'endless', 'hwa' means 'flower'. It is the national flower of South Korea.
Copyright © Grace Eunsong Lee | Year Posted 2010
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