Tenacity in Bloom
Highway shoulder areas,
Where Nature’s life at risk
Retains its sentinel stand,
The unfurling of petals in early light,
Shows its bright color of survival.
As the world speeds by,
A flower’s resilience blooms its defiance,
Reminding one that roots of life can grow deep,
Drawing strength to reach up through the cracks
And share its determination with the sun.
Their sway in the breeze of autos passing,
Like a dance to the hum.
At times there would be a bouquet of dancers,
Their fragrance mingling with the highway dust,
Reminding me of the delicate amidst the harsh.
Perhaps in their own way,
Blooms became aware of me,
For their company reminded me often of survival,
The beauty of purpose in acknowledging the overlooked,
The unexpected stumbling upon a new intrepid
of life in the mundane,
Man and flower
Mutual acceptance of such quiet rebellion.
I fantasized many a story on my treks,
Each discovered blossom a premise for wonderment,
Each imagining like a silent emboldening,
Arousing my mettle to keep walking with my thumb raised.
So many special findings…
For in their brief lives,
They might be trying to remind us
That there is great joy in the small things,
Lessons in how to see beauty in the unexpected,
And discovering one can bloom,
No matter where one is planted.
Having done my share of hitchhiking in the past, I was always spurred on out of my often discouraged mind set by the singular flower that would stop me in my tracks… Yes, there was some kind of connection that only now in my older years is retelling me to press on.
The soil here is so bad, especially while disturbed, that only ratty weeds grow. But in spring, the lowly Primrose takes hold in these exhausted and road wind places, to pop back up even when trod upon by uncaring walkers. They are always a sight to see these desert islands of neglect and discarded fast food cartons and other trash.
Ron