You grow upon such fallow ground,
Yet in early spring you show;
The beauteous grace of nature's stall,
Your petals all aglow!
You stand as if a sentinel,
To guide the season-fair;
With bounties of a million things,
Count them - if you dare.
Your time is short upon this earth,
Yet your beauty still abounds;
To fill each heart with happiness,
With blooms on baron grounds.
With scented leaves you fill the air,
Our senses ne'er shall starve;
For the Rocky Rose has bloomed once more,
Across the whole Algarve.
The day will come and you'll go along,
Your blooms will fade away;
But the spring is like your Evensong,
To herald the longer day!
by Douglas Hughes
Douglas Hughes is a UK-based writer producing general interest articles ranging from travel pieces to classic motoring.