The Tulips

That was the year I planted tulip bulbs. After a year of eager and patient waiting The gorgeous red and yellow flowers Of mellow beauty filled in the garden. I watched every morning in quiet admiration, The dew drops and bees circling on soft petals. The young tulips in mischievous breeze made, Flower bed sizzle with life, vibrant and aerial. As morning rays spread to light up the sky From tall glass windows of my living room Their exquisite brilliance and soothing aura of beauteous harmony entered into my being. But I didn't know much about tulips then. Soon I came to realize that each stem Bore just one flower, and their delicate Flashy bloom lasted only for a week most. I felt chagrined and cheated for my labor. A sadness prevailed as the flowers wilted And the single stem soon started to limp. This was my first intimate tending of gardening. Nothing much I could do but to miss the tulips And endure the hurt of their short span of life. As spring advanced into summer, the long Herbaceous plants also withered to ground. To see flowerbeds devoid of green was a blow. The intricate planning of nature felt erroneous. The showy life and the quick decay, that the Tulips exhibited was new to my experience. Or should I say that for the first time I was Touched so deeply by the natural ending of plant life. Like the devastating loss of my mother, The saddest encounter- I took long to recover. But nature is still kind and benevolent. It takes our loved ones never to return again But blesses us again with family and friends. Tulips too bloom every year again and again. They give me a week of their life filled with Amorous beauty and post a cruel message Wrapped in quiet tenderness to accept Mother Nature's workings at her behest.