Encounter
By Jeff Sloan
She was the Rose that grew
Vibrant
A splash of colour along the cold
Stone railway line
Between the trusses
Where the gravel abuts the wood
She stretches a thorny stalk
As the molten purple clouds
Toss electricity overhead
A cold drink given
And a wash of ozone
The Western night
Rattlesnake dusk
The cacti attend her birth with sour reverence
Big-rig taillights blaze a neon red line
No match for the blood in her petals
She is plucked by a lonesome cowgirl
On that same old road to nowhere
A time hearts feel when the music slows
It embraces our softer emotions
Dances to our ragged soul tambourine
Beneath the hard grit reality
Conditioned by hard life
A touch of beauty
In a harsh land
How hard life must try
To improve on our progress.
***
Look for the wonders around you. They are the real art being displayed on Earth's great canvas.
Ever Yours'
J.S.