Flower From a Stranger

A rose destined to continue opening

No matter what you do or say

A Buddha Flower of the first degree

A power that keeps on giving

It’s hard to express this better

Either in petals or the flesh

Perfection in a vase before your eyes

For all the world to plainly see
There's nothing more curative
Than the flower's pure gratuity

The backstory to this poem is interesting.  My wife was walking down 28th street the other day and approached a man (who looked kind of scruffy) standing on the corner and he handed her a perfect rose and explained that something lucky had just happened to him.  So this rose represents the most gratuitous of generous acts and that's why it looks like perfection itself fit snugly into a vase.

Post script:  And then a few days later Marissa sent me another photo.

Opening further 

Until Time holds sway 

Perfect or not 

Flowers all end 

The same way

On the vine

Or in the vase

Brittle in decay