Flower On A Stem

"Consider the lilies of the field..."
Jesus

how do you carry yourself
oh flower on a stem
in the rude world blowing

I watch you from any window then
looking out on anyone's garden
or on fields where you grow wild

and watch the sleet beat down on you
and wonder if I may be like you
who must endure the cold

and have no indoors place to go at times.
and looking out I see the human flowers too
and sometimes it is me

who on the wild moors or the winter streets

must wind my way and wonder how, more,
day by day I carry myself and so do they
like flowers on our stems

without breaking down

mary angela douglas 12 january 2016