Sunday, March 1, 2020

SOL20 Slice #1: Lenten rose



I am participating in the
 Slice of Life Story Challenge (SOL20).  
All participants are sharing stories about moments in their lives, writing 
 every day for the month of March 2020.
Thank you, Two Writing Teachers!


March always makes me think of my Mom, whose birthday is this month. After her death in October 2018, I decided to look for a perennial that bloomed in March, to plant in my garden in her honor. This past fall, I planted three lenten roses ("Helleborus"), thinking these would be ideal flowers to commemorate my devout Catholic mother. 

Lo and behold, they began to emerge from the ground in mid-February, and here at the beginning of March, there are a few blossoms! I am confident that these plants will be covered with blooms by mid-month, for Mom's birthday on the 18th. I have been checking on them every day, noticing their growth and smiling with delight; I have fallen in love with these little dear plants. They are one of the first signs of spring in my yard, flowering even before the yellow-blossomed forsythia.

Such a little thing, such a sweet thing - I figured this called for a poem.




Little Lenten Rose

Slowly, slowly, through ground,
Though it be cold and hard,
The little lenten rose,
Sweet magic in my yard.

Slowly, slowly, pushing up,
Stem and leaves appear,
Small buds are softly folded
Holding something dear.

Slowly, slowly, they unfold,
Blossoms opening wide,
Purple, red, with yellow core,
Speckled and bright inside.

Slowly, slowly, winter fades,
Springtime starts to shine.
The little lenten rose,
Harbinger of time.







2 comments:

  1. I love the story and the poem that comes out of it. What a sweet way to remember you mom.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The flowers are gorgeous and your reason for planting them is so touching. I really like your poem, too. The rhyme works well to suggest a sense of time ticking and slow growth. It’s a very tender poem.

    ReplyDelete