(This piece was written to the melody of ‘Twins’, by Gem Club)
You were my life, my greatest friend, my anchor
You were my husband, and my One
I lay, day after day, night after night
Ever vigilant, by your side
As the illness consumed your body, piece by piece
I was there when the light left your eyes
The day that Death came to claim you
The Reaper took more than the body of my soul-mate that day
He took the colour from the world
He flooded the walls and floors of our home with grief
But it was the garden that bore the greatest marks of suffering
In the wake of your absence
What once flourished, slowly receded back
As if in respectful mourning of what had been taken
The earth there, so lovingly tended by your hand, turned barren
Only a singular white rose remained
It seemed a peculiar thing
And I studied it with numb confusion
Wondering why it refused to perish along with its comrades
Confusion shifted gradually to amazement
As, rather than withering, the rose proved only to flourish
Its endurance was a mystery to me
Until I visited our daughter one ordinary day –
Our daughter, now grown, with a family of her own
As we sat together
A moment shivered by
Where I saw her look at her husband, for just an instant
The way I used to look at you
My soul was smiling as I returned to our house
I walked the path to the door
But as I did my gaze drifted to the garden
The white rose …
And it became clear, My Love
It was our daughter’s turn
I will be forever grateful that you lived to see her find the love of her life
And to see new life spring forth from that union
Together we saw our love pass to her
Her revelry in that love was what created this white rose
That is why it endures
That is why it remains more beautiful than any before it
This revelation brought a peace to my heart that was unmatched
I watched the rose grow and thrive
Watched it blossom with renewed vigour each year
Felt its presence pour endless sunlight into my being
But now, My Love, something even more miraculous has happened
In this summer just passed a new rose began to grow
From a most unexpected source indeed
My Love … our grandson has found it
The boy who always reminded me more of you than any other
The man who resembles you more and more with each passing year
He has found his One
He has found a love like ours
And claimed it for his own
The rose began to grow in June
And now it has blossomed
Revealing the most breathtaking shade of deep red
With the softest yellow centre imaginable
I gazed upon it, My Love
And I realised that it is a hybrid rose
The yellow of our love
Forever protecting the vibrant red of theirs
Our legacy has created a Double-Delight rose My Love!
Can you believe it?!
I know now that our love was never taken
It never even faded
It was willingly bestowed
Our legacy is immortal, My Love
Death has no power over it
For as our grandsons love endures, it brings fresh life
And as our great-grandchildren grow
So does the rose that created them
Until the day comes that they are old enough to create their own
My utopia was in the honour of being your wife
My peace is in watching our descendants enter those same gates
This post was inspired by the word prompt ‘FADED‘ at The Daily Post
Blindfolds Hiding Diamonds 