Lessons from a Lotus Flower

Written 20 December 2023 No. 1263 Unplaced Poetry Contest Sponsored by Brian Strand Lessons from a Lotus Flower The lotus plant grows in water Of ponds and slow moving rivers Of tropical climes and countries And sticks its roots in murky soil, With its lovely flower`s beauty And its petals` serenity Silently standing as a foil To its nearby vicinity. The plant sends forth a lime green stalk On the surface of the water With bud that blooms in a flower Of wonderful delight to chalk; Lotus flowers of diverse hues Present diverse symbolic clues Of rising from adversity, With faith and spirituality. The flower sinks in the water At the reach of the furtive night, But re-blooms ever pure and bright At the outbreak of the morn, Pristine purity does augur, Signals miraculous rebirth That all nature lovers adorn In the midst of its murky earth. Its sparkling flowers embellish The deities of many cultures That do its purity relish As a gift from stunning nature, A symbol of enlightenment Overcoming adversity In the midst of inner torment, And the seat of impurity. Let folks gifted with human birth By divine grace on planet Earth Learn from this prime unique flower To lift themselves and to tower Above a grim world of evil With a firm and powerful will, With a mind safe, sound and secure, With a soul ever clean and pure, To rise up from adversity With faith and spirituality.