THIS POEM HAS BEEN DELETED - MAY BE FOUND ON THE WEB
BY SEARCHING FOR POEMS BY JAMES T. ADAIR

All Winter
When nobody was around
Underneath the neglected garden
Inside the frozen ground

Lived a little flower
who nobody noticed
because she was hidden
underneath: forgotten, forbidden

Underneath the broken branches of Fall
Many moons passed, she missed all
underneath the Winter snows and February rain
Nobody noticed her dormant, everpresent pain

But underneath the thawing dark soil
she was dreaming, though doing so was toil
because through all her lonliness and grief
she dreamed of oneday sprouting, this was her belief

And so she waited and hoped underneath the ground
silently hoping for the day an admirer would come around
but none ever did and so she learned to keep things hid
and dreamed for the day that of this sadness she would finally be rid

And oneday she thought she felt moist warmth
and dreamt it might be because of the sun
The sun was her kind friend, for a time her only one
and so to the sun her hopes would run

And her dreams brough a glimmer, a sparkle of light
and to reach it she tried with all her might
but as soon as she felt certain she was there, it turned to night
and so this day, dashed were her hopes bright

But the next morning she felt the sunrise
and dried the tears from her little flower eyes
and then it got cloudy and began to rain
and the rain seeped through the soil and eased her inner pain

And when she was beginning to think all was in vain
she heard footsteps she thought may be of a man
and she tried to listen for them whenever they appeared
she did listen through the earth though she had to strain

She imagined him to be kind, though she didn't know why
for him she found the strength to try
because one day amidst the footsteps she thought she heard him
cry

So day by day, through thick or thin
regardless of how she felt sad or the dungeon she was trapped in
she dreamed of a sunny day as the sunshine came and went
though she could not see the light through her earthen tent

By and by the sun seemed to shine longer
she could feel but not see but she wished it could possibly be
and she wished herself upward like the branches of a tree
trying so hard to be what she felt meant to be

And as if a reward for her toil, she sprouted a delicate flower
that grew upward minute by minute, hour upon hour
and one morning she felt the sun so bright
she reached a bit harder and finally..Finally...she saw her first light

And it was beautiful to her to see, though she just barely poked through
and so she pushed toward it and grew
and though she didn't have eyes like you or me...still she could see
and through this little patch of earth she did sprout as was meant to be

And she heard the familiar footsteps with which she had fallen in love
she from below  had truly fallen for this imagined friend above
and this morning he hesitated and in this moment he took
she froze and shined her brighteds purple and she thought he migh notice and look

And the man did notice and saw a beautiful curled purple/green bud
popping throught the half-frozen March mud
and he thought to himself as he continued on his way
That's going to be a pretty flower one day and he thought of Spring

And though his heart and mind were hurting
a smile to his face the little flower did bring
and so he came the next day with a thought of good deeds
and he knelt down and cleaned away from her the rocks, leaves and the weeds

And this is when the little flower caught the first glimpse of him
and she saw hazle/blue eyes and decided his name must be Jim
because it was simple and is just two letters away from "him"
the man she only heard footsteps of ... whose attention she wanted to win

And in this moment she felt alive and this little care
meant someone really knew of her, and all here struggle there
and she leaned toward his hand and felt its touch
against her soft petals,  lonely, starving for kindness and bare

And in his kindness that she did not understand
she felt only the care of his hand
and was thankful for this man's silent affectionate duty
but to him, he saw her fragilness, her solitude and her beauty

One day he stopped by just to gaze
and the two of them were for a moment lost
lost in the haze of the warmth that melted the frost
of the last of the late Winter days

To him her flowering marked the beginning of Spring
And the long sadness that had swalllowed up Everything..
she reminded him of care and of try
and the thoughts made him cry....

Because he knew the life of a flower is brief
and that the flower's beauty would whither and die
but in this moment she was the apple of his eye
and he asked and wondered silently about life:  Why?

And in a moment he found an answer
meaning for the two
and she tried to say, don't leave
I wanted to make you smile...You

And in that moment he lifted her from the ground
and held her gently in his warm hand
and said.."Little flower....I hope you understand"
and a smile grew from his sad frown

She tried to say "It's OK,
this is where I want to be
just you and me
and feeling loved and free'

And then to a little girl
his grandaughter actually, not much older than three
he said I have a something for you
a beautiful gift to you that God brought to me

And he showed the girl the little flower
and she smiled too
he said, "this is for your hair
a little gift of nature meant for you"

And the little flower's heart jumped with glee
because she understood why..she could see!
and the smile on the little girls face
was what the little flower hoped love would be

And there in the little girl's blond hair
the little flower felt just right there
and noticed Jim was smiling too
and wasn't any longer blue

And that morning they went to a place
where she saw other beautiful flowers
in a big building with a steeple
with colorful stained glass windows and lots of people

And here she was as happy as can be
feeling loved and beautiful and free
as she hoped life might someday be
and if it lasted only a moment, she thought "life smiled upon me"

She looked at him and felt his smile
Her life was finally happy and free
As she dreamed it might someday be.
The best things in life are kind and happy and free

©  James T. Adair
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