In Memory of Nancy Burd
The single rose speaks in voice
saying beauty, believe
Even as sky presses down
with weight of the galaxy
and beyond.
How to walk here with head up,
eyes wide wanting so much
even the horizon
even the stream
with its sleeping
pebbles.
How to approach the solitary rose
in its red gown,
its unseen soul bending
and weeping in the
invisible tides
of gravity,
all downward pointing
things.
How to walk with the flower of love
still breathing inside
in the secret places
never seen,
meadows and inland seas that
promise more than dearth
in the gardens,
that daily contest the weight
of world,
the rage in the wind
that cuts like a scythe
against the
innocent stem.
About the Poet
Doug Bolling’s poetry has appeared in Slant, Basalt, Literary Heist, Poetry Pacific, Posit, About Place, and Writers Resist among other places. He has received Pushcart and Best of the Net nominations and several awards And lives next door to Chicago after various travels.
For the first time in nearly five years, Vita Brevis is closed for submission. Read the full story here.
Vita Brevis Press. 