i care for you so much
perhaps I should push you away
cut you down now
before the fire I might be immersed in  
singes you
harms you
burns you
brings you down in flames
right beside me

i once found true love
as a rose in bloom
and the rose cowered from me
because I wanted to place the flower
in my own garden
before it had fully opened its petals
to embrace the sun

i won’t let another lovely fragrant flower
cease to receive the rain
the light
or let it remain firmly rooted
in the fertile soil
simply because the overzealous gardener
i try to be
blessed to have the honor of
nourishing and caring for the flower
to its glorious end
uprooted her too soon
before her time

it’s so much better
to let the rain immerse you
watch your petals
embrace the warm sunlight

until the entire garden beholds
the splendor
the grace
the fragrance
the beauty
of a rose fully bloomed

btb 12/9/06