The Flowers in Your Own Back Yard

By Joseph McGowan

Sometimes they bloom late in the season when their time has almost passed them by.
Yet some do not bloom at all.
The flowers in your own back yard grow still, almost stagnant
Yet there remains a beauty although withered by the hands of time
They can still bring a smile to your face.

Sometimes they bloom late in the season when their time has almost passed them by.
Yet some do not bloom at all.
The flowers in your own back yard grow still, almost stagnant
Yet defiant to the winds and rains that fall during winter’s march
Still, there remains a hidden beauty you will find
If you push aside the fallen leaves and sticks
Which have been tossed by the hands of time
Up against their tired bodies that have weighed them down throughout the years.

Sometimes they bloom far away when a kindly gentle breeze picks up a tiny seed
And carries it away from its own back yard
Far from its beaten soil and heat of the inner city
As though the breeze says to the seed,
“Let me grasp you in my arms and take you far away
Over mountains and rivers wild and free, I’ll gently carry you on my shoulders
And lay you down in a new land far and away to be cared for by the land.”
Where man has yet to lay his heavy hands on Mother Earth
To start anew and bloom again.

Sometimes the flowers bloom
So please don’t give up hope.
Nurture them with love and guide them with knowledge, wisdom and praise
So they can, one day, grow tall and show all the world their beauty and splendor
To bring a smile and a tear to those who tended their beds.