Burning Bright

And when you stumble,
as the path shifts
with splintered shale
as your sore feet
lose balance on the earth

think of the rowan tree –
which finds a beginning
in difficult places,
high and dry in rocky crevices –
grows from the wounds
of shattered trees.

And when you doubt your life
because of misfortune,
mistakes and frailties,
sticks and stones

remember the rowan –
its brave stand
against insufferable frosts
and bad air

how it dedicates
its delicate roots
to push deeper
into hard ground

how it holds on.

And when you need courage
to face the loss of liberty

become like the rowan:

offer white blossom
as a gift of grace

blush into autumn
with burning leaves –

carry a harvest of berries
through the coldest days
like beads of fire.


Pauline Rowe