My Wonder

A Rose Sacrificed

"Love planted a rose, and the world turned sweet." - Katharine Lee Bates

A Rose Sacrificed

a rose is cut from thorny stem
special in nature,
gathered or alone.

few demanding,
few unselfish yet
contrite if without purpose.

a statement,
message to message,
hand to hand,
life to life.

purity unconditional,
sometimes wielded,
others accepted,
embraced to heart.

complex yet simple,
bold yet subtle,
benign yet poignant,
free yet demanding.

each unique in stature,
each created bond,
each a message,
journey to destination.

so begins the sacrifice,
redemption delivered,
given as love, yet secondary
without emotion.

to this end, give thanks,
for few things heal
so completely as
a rose sacrificed.

Morning Cleanse

I sometimes walk to clear
my thoughts,
unconcerned with physical benefit,
relaxed in casual confidence.

I’m not obsessed by pace,
rushing along, hips rotating,
clutching midget sized weights,
my beginning mingling with
destination.

No, for me it’s the solitude I seek,
as if some alien encounter had
sterilized my world while I slept,
leaving behind all but the human race.

The introduction of a new day,
serene, pensive, without flaw,
the air crisp like shattered glass,
my senses collectively acute.

The first three blocks a residential maze,
wanna-be watch dogs announce my presence,
wake up neighborhood,
they insist, take notice of this intruder.

Exiting the last signs of civilized intrusion,
nature’s wonderland opens before me,
the dew laden fodder clings knee high,
I reach out and touch my isolation.

Clearing my head of the day to
day tragedies of a world in turmoil,
opening my mind to free thinking,
gone are the petty self indignations.

As the sun peaks over the eastern skyline,
turning the cosmos into pastel amazement,
I become one, in the moment,
no before, no after.