Crepe Myrtle

In summertime’s embrace a spectacle sublime

The crepe myrtle blooms a poetry in rhyme

In hues of crimson violet and purest white

The essence of beauty etched in petals bright

With grace they dance upon the whispering breeze

Unveiling their enchantment putting hearts at ease

Delicate like wisps of dreams they gently sway

A symphony of colors a captivating display

Midst verdant boughs their branches reach the sky

A testament to life as time goes fleeting by

Each blossom tells a story a chapter yet untold

Unraveling secrets that nature does behold

Oh crepe myrtle bloom your elegance divine

An artist’s brush couldn’t even come close to define

You charm the senses evoking joy and peace

A resplendent masterpiece that will never cease

So let us stand in awe beneath your rambling bowers

And let your presence fill our hearts in quiet hours

For in your bloom we find a solace so profound

A tapestry of beauty where inner peace is found

Invasion of the weeds- Part 4

I looked around the room to find who was talking

It was one of my houseplants

He was livid about me bringing a weed into the house

All weeds are evil he shouted

The rest of the houseplants downstairs joined in the rant

My little weed Caps started shouting back

I had to go downstairs and yell at them all to stop shouting

I said if anybody utters another word tonight they will be put in the potting shed for a month

I promised we would continue the discussion in the morning

After a good nights sleep I arranged all the houseplants and Caps in a circle on the lounge floor

I moderated this group therapy session for hours on end

It was obvious that weeds were despised and rejected by all but their own clan

It emerged that the plants in the garden also had active terrorists

They carried out retaliatory attacks on the weeds

This really is a deep rooted conflict

After weeks of daily therapy sessions we started to make progress

I had breakout groups work on specific tasks

Caps brought more of his friends in to even up the numbers

We did team building exercises to build trust between the two sides

The final session was a presentation given to me on how they proposed to end the conflict

Here is a summary of what they decided

The term “weed” is offensive and from now on shall be replaced by “plants of a different color

All the plants in the garden shall go through cultural training so that all can live together in harmony

A plant counter terrorism group will be established to protect the garden from attacks

A firewall will be created by planting specialist plants around the perimeter

These plants will connect to the mycelium and prevent any data transfer with terrorists plants outside

The garden will no longer have manicured flower beds or lawns

It will be planted as a natural garden and wild flowers will be encouraged to grow

An alliance will be established with the birds who will spread our seeds and cuttings to other gardens

The objective is to spread harmonious plant gardens all over the planet

I was well impressed with their work and congratulated them all

I suggested we repeat the presentation tomorrow morning in the garden

I was looking forward to the reaction of all the garden plants

We all slept well that night and planned to get up early the next day

I awoke around 4am to terrible screams

I ran downstairs to find two dead houseplants on the kitchen floor

They had been strangled by vines who had crept in through an open window

The rose journey

On a cool morning in Bogota Columbia

A beautiful red rose stands proud in a large field

Bathed in sunlight

Nurtured by experienced growers

Its time to harvest

The rose stem is cut

It joins a bunch of roses

Packaged in a large box

Shipped by truck to the airport

Flown to the US

Trucked to a flower store

Arranged in a chilled display cabinet

Purchased by a loyal customer

Driven from the store to his home

Presented to his wife

Lovingly placed in a vase

Celebrating their fiftieth wedding anniversary

He always bought her red roses

He gave her a card

Inside she found a note

These roses have travelled far to be with you

Now is the time

For us to visit their home

There were also two plane tickets

A few days later they flew to Columbia

A driver took them to Bogota

She smiled when she saw the fields

A sea of red roses she beamed

The farm manager gave them a tour

She stopped to smell the roses

He cut a bright red rose for her

For the journey home he said

She held the rose in her hand

All the way to the airport

She carried it on the plane heading to the US

They were stopped at the border and customs control

The officer spoke apologetically but firmly

So sorry Mam you cannot bring flowers into the country

The confiscated rose was tossed into the trash

An unceremonious end to its short life

His wife shed a tear

Never mind said her husband

I will buy you another rose

Lets drive straight to the flower store

She smiled and squeezed his hand

On a cool morning in Bogota Columbia

A beautiful red rose stands proud in a large field

I am in jolly old England

I woke up early on this Sunday morning

It is almost the end of May

Clear blue skies over the English countryside

The sun is rising over the Downs

Casting long shadows over the English garden patio

The vegetable garden is basking in the warm English sunshine

Growing season is upon us

You can almost see the leaves expanding

Birds line up at the bird feeders

Grateful for their free English breakfast

Birdsongs fill the air

Doves are gently cooing

Others chirping and tweeting

While most folks are still sleeping

Tall hedgerows border the very English manicured lawns

Providing a welcome home for English wildlife

Flowering plants and shrubs abound

The quintessential English country garden

Painted around a beautiful English country house

Close to a small English village

With a typical English village green

Where white clothed English gentlemen

Play the English game of cricket

On sunny English afternoons

The sound of leather hitting willow

Followed by civilized English applause

From the warm-beer sipping English spectators

Brings back fond memories

I am in jolly old England

the red rose

I watched the rose grow

it started with a swelling bud

tips of deep red petals emerged

a tantalizing hint of its future beauty

it grew slowly

with stealth and precision

I checked its progress daily

eventually it was proudly in full bloom

a perfect specimen

passing bees paused in amazement

birds perched in awe

clouds parted allowing the sun to take a peek

I cut the rose

placed it in a vase

presented it to my lover

deliciously sweet scent

delicate soft silky petals

so cute to look at

beautiful in every way

just like her

the red rose