The Rose

In gardens where the roses bloom, With petals soft, like silken threads, Their fragrance fills the evening’s room, A balm for all that love extends.

With hues that capture dawn’s embrace, The crimson blush; the softest white, In every blossom, there is grace, In every thorn, a touch of light.

So let your heart be like the rose, With beauty blooming from your strife, For every joy and pain you chose, Is part of love’s sweet tapestry of life.

• Mary Elizabeth Coleridge