Immortal Rose

Gentle morning breezes kiss the budding rose And nurse it in the sturdy cradle vine Scented dewdrops linger with the morn To bathe the child in clear and bubbly wine. Soon after nature's flower child is born The news is hastened on the fragile wing Ecstatic purrs announce the hummingbird Who comes to dedicate this precious thing. Faint whispers in the misty air are heard Before responses chanted fade to sighs And aged petals dip to touch the earth This rose may wave immortal to the skies. [This poem was originally written for my first anthology, The Lady in the Pink Hat, Candor Press, 1969.] FIRST PLACE WINNER Brian Strand's "All Yours" Contest April, 2021