Ode to a Rose

Out of the rich, moist earth
A rose bud popped out its little head.
Free at last was she
From that wet, clingy, muddy bed.

With joy and glee did she emerge,
All aglow with dreams to make everything around hers.
The bud rose up uncaring to the world
The petals a mere whisper of gossamer.

Little had she seen the outside
She knew she was valuable for she only knew her own.
Alas alas the bud didn’t know
That the opposite she was to be shown.

The bud spread her gossamer a bit more
And shook free the delicious dew
Suddenly came majestic fairies from her bunch
Oh! Quite a few.

Tall they stood and beautiful and stately
Standing aside the nymphs she felt quite low.
The desire to achieve such grandeur came like a little wave
She wanted to be one of them…to be adored.

They laughed at her, ridiculed her and called her a nobody
She would never be anyone
What with the tiny petals and pitiful roots
The painless thorns…would die beneath the harsh sun.

Dejected and miserable she to decided to end her life
She ripped at her petals
Twisted and flailed spearing her stem with her thorns
What good was she? She didn’t have the grace…nor the mettle.

Then came the storm…wild and brutal
It ripped all the long stemmed beauties right off the ground
Where they stood with their heads held high.
They were plucked off completely…shoot and all.

The little one woke up in the morn
Saw no more of her tormentors
But she did see a new her
How did she survive where the others lived no more?

She was small…that was the answer
Too small to be uprooted
She was given a chance
To become a long stemmed rose.

And she loved herself and held herself
For she was indeed special
She withstood the storm with just herself by her own side
The joy she felt for herself…the pride…immeasurable.

Then she realized that life was love
And no one would love her more that her tiny little self
The love she felt for herself then knew no confines
For size, nor wit, nor beauty, no charm in life would ever help!

She spread out her little petals afull
And faced the brilliant sun
She knew she had done the impossible
And she told herself you have more ahead of you little one!