Asphalt Rose

A seed born in darkness starving for light
Takes roots in soil and begins it’s fight
One millimeter at a time, it pushes and shoves
To reach the tiniest light above

Tired and thirsty, it waits for the rain
To feed it and help it fight again
It reaches the top of the soil --so close
Not expecting the hardness of the asphalt, it froze

Steel and concrete greeting its rise,
The leaves and blossoms feel the heat of the sky
This is the time it chooses to live or die
So it wills strength in it’s stem and begins to climb
Up between the hardness in the street
Its journey is almost complete

Thorns catch the asphalt and halts its accent
Then it gets the help it needs from the wind
And powering through the earth, it appears
Stretching upward toward the skies so clear

Though it’s new home is not the one it chose
This blossom through the asphalt, grows
It’s beauty begins to open and thrive
It’s petals, one by one, greets the skies
Its sudden arrival has not gone unnoticed
As footfalls step to the side to avoid it

And the rose that was born in the harshest way
Opened it’s petals and with the wind, began to sway
This beauty arising in the midst of chaos
Has the power to make all traffic stop
And take notice of this beautiful anomaly close
Marveling the existence of Asphalt Rose

A seed born in darkness starving for light
Takes roots in soil and begins it’s flight
In an environment it neither wanted nor chose
This beauty known as Asphalt Rose

And many years later it continues to exist
Rising through the cracks it continues to persist
As the most beautiful anomaly ever known
Throbbing with life it continues to glow
Causing traffic to stop and take notice
Of the unexpected existence of Asphalt Rose