~ Winter Garden ~
Tired and weather beaten, the rose stands ever valiant and brave as the fall nears its end.
Any day, or some silent evening..the ice will encircle her, and the snow will come to drain the last blush from her cheeks.
There was still so much life left in her heart before winter came. Her eyes were always shining in the candlelight, and she was quick to smile, engaged in the happy moments.
Now she drifts away on some unknown boat far out to where it's peaceful and she can be with her lovely memories of days gone by.
A handsome suitor rows her further away from the crowd while she twirls her parasol and pretends to read her book and look at him over the top of it. Then blending into now ... now blending into then.
Time has weathered her lovely features to where they are almost unrecognizable to her once young suitors who love her still when they look into the pools of her deep green eyes.
It's like they have never left her, reintroduced after decades that seem like days, for they were once young together..and that will never change.
It still puts a light in her schoolgirl heart even now as she recalls those wondrous days of young girlhood.
There were hours upon hours of delightful play among the trees, streams, reeds and brooks with bare feet and a stick in her hand as she commanded the world.
Looking in the mirror...it quickly brings her back to the reality that she is no longer that young girl, but a mere shadow of her.
Her eyes are just the same, and the shape of her face. Her lovely hair is still piled high up on her head and her neck is set in her favorite beaded choker.
Time has been neither her friend or enemy, and she still brings attention when she walks into a room with her soft dress rustling.
Tired and weather beaten the Rose stands brave and valiant, determined to finish her time and season without dropping a petal.
