A rare and fragrant orchid
her bud unfolding silently in the still night
casting her glow on all who take time to notice;
nodding in the clear moonlight
unaware that one fleeting night
fulfills her reign on this virgin Earth.

Blazing scarlet sunrise
brings no hint of the marvelous beauty
bestowed by mistress night's secret;
a sad chill and a withered pod
are all that remain
as bleak reminders of the frailty of the soul
of a woodland gnome's crystal creation.

Gleaming jewel-green leaves curl and fade,
day's heat leaving only a dark nub atop a dried, stark stem;
all is forgotten...

Alone, the pod struggles through the Hell of day's mad torment
seeking nourishment from moist, cool Mother Earth below
through tortured veins of near-dry tendrils; O, precious root!
Slow transformation of sickly bead,
filling,
growing
to pregnant balloon
bulging now with the seed of new life,
the seed of a new beginning,
all that is left, but for
Trust
in Nature's relentless renewal.