She drinks in what she needs
from the dew at break of dawn
through curled and withered petals
that are barely hanging on.

With leaves of spotted brown,
amid a yellow-greenish hue,
she has a focus, has a goal
and knows just what to do.

An obligation to fulfill,
she has a purpose and a plan
to always and forever
give this life the best she can.

Never clipped or pressed in pages
beside a favorite verse or poem,
she accepts her lonely fate
in the field that she calls home.

Graciously she fades away,
while plainly, she can see
the replacement bud beside her
now more beautiful than she.

Does she ponder as she withers,
her petals fall upon the ground
if her splendor was in vain
because no one was around?

Does she label her efforts
an unworthy endeavor
because her gifts were temporary
and could not last forever?

No, she does not doubt the reasons.
Her goal is clear and understood.
The rose, she knows the one thing
every one of us should.

She does not question time itself,
or wonder where it went,
wasting fleeting precious seconds
regretting how it all was spent.

She knows this is her time
and she knows this is her season.
She knows that she's been chosen
to be right here for a reason.

She knows how beautifully she bloomed,
though no one was there to see.
She knows she did her very best
to fulfill her destiny.

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© Linda Ellis. All rights reserved.