Tanned Rose

Among the garden of mystic lilies
a wild bush grew astray
not captured by prim audience
Its color began to fade

The lilies looked merry and grew in flocks
away from heat and hay
and just wouldn’t settle for a corner
by the sunlit dingy bay

The wild choir rough and rogue
no attention it would seek
even the elite painters and poets
found it uncanny and bleak

Within the garden one day
ran children wild and free
some hobbled for butterflies
some tried to climb oak trees

A gentle touch moved over 
the petals soft and plush
only to settle down on the
not so wanted shrub

Charismatic smile and alluring voice
She must be four or five
she whispered as she came close
And suddenly the roses revived

She said their fragrance attracted her
from the other side of lawn
and helped her to witness life’s beauty
although her vision was gone

The uncanny and unwanted roses
Now grow till every breath
They may tan or wither away
But their aroma remained fresh...