Shawn L. Bird

I should have

warned you about our bud.

She’s thorny

but she’s precious.

Touch her brusquely

and you’ll bleed from flesh

torn by her thorns. 

They are sharp, but they protect

a precious bud.

Some day, if we tend her well

she will blossom into a glorious rose,

for now she is a thorny stalk

with a tentative bud,

doubtful of blooming.

She will need to be coaxed,

but someday, her unique beauty

will amaze you.

She will show the world

talent, insight, and vision.

She’ll be a complexity of

colour, scent, tenacity.

For now, she is a thorny stalk,

but we have faith

the guarded bud

will bloom