Valiance

Rich and vibrant soil,

Heavy with rain and dew,

Nurtures growth;

Eager seedlings

Endure and survive.

Long days filled with

Sunshine slip by

Until it begins anew,

Breaking and erupting

From earth’s foundation -

A commencement

Of nature and of birth.

Desiring, striving,

Branches proliferate,

Reaching high

To sun and sky,

Beautifully arrayed

In layers of

Veined, green leaves,

Prickly thorns, and

Sweet baby buds.

Lazy days of summer

Drift along.

New life unveils

Petals of

Robust, stark scarlet

Blooming amid a burst of light.

A portraiture of

Supple delicacy and beauty,

Distends from branches,

Complete with jagged

Thorns primed in a quest

To sting

The fragile veil of skin.

Therein lies the rub.

Secrets -

Beauty, empathy, knowledge,

Awareness, and perpetual growth -

Encompassed beneath a shell exquisite

Are oft’ derived

Amidst the pain and angst

Of a prickly thorn

Like whispered echoes

Of age-old bequests

Nestled within the arms

Of beauty’s valiance.

Cynthia Calder, 01.13.25