Baby Roses and Their Healing Whispers

Once when I was very sad and thought there was no beauty worth knowing again, I picked up a leaf that had fallen to the ground. I looked into the sky and noticed there were hundreds more. None of course were as precious as that single leaf I held in my hand. Oh how much flowers give us and how they help the healing of sad days. Think about picking one single leaf and looking at all its intricate little veins. It is most remarkable.

After that day I ordered several baby roses from a catalog. The day that they arrived was life changing. Such a simple thing, tiny roses in a box posted with my name on it.

I planted them outside my window. I thought of them whenever I woke up in the middle of the night with that same sad feeling. Nothing is sadder than feeling alone in the middle of the night, especially when there is someone sleeping right next to you... isn't that true?

I turned my sadness toward my gentle little flowers and thought about them. I imagined myself next to them kneeling beside their promise. I thought about each one individually, their colors and what tiny buds might be open in the morning. They are very sweet and delicate.

If fairies do indeed exist, and there is no doubt in my mind that they do, they live within those baby roses.

I moved from that house. I heard that someone came and dug up all my roses and planted them in their own yard. I hope they treat them well.

If you are sad, and if we were friends... If I lived nearby, I would of course plant tiny roses for you. You might think about planting them for yourself... just like I did.

I refer to roses a lot in my poems because they have been there many times for me when I couldn't speak to anyone else.

The Art of Kathy Ostman-Magnusen
figurative art