Rose and Violet

 

 

Two flowers bloomed in a garden

Now withered and gone away,

Yet their fragrance and beauty remain

Neither troubled by decay.

 

Their fragrance caresses our noses

Their beauty is still our delight

And though they lie in yonder cemetery

They are never out of our sight.

 

They are always in our memory

As we recall their feathery touch

And none of their offspring could deny

That they have given us much.

 

I am sure you would want to know

The names of these flowers two,

I am only too eager to facilitate this

As grateful children would do.

 

 

 

 

One was a Rose of rare beauty

The other, a Violet unique,

Both of them were of July vintage

And bloomed on neighboring streets.

 

 

  

 

They bloomed for ninety-two years

Though having expired at different times,

Five years apart to be more precise

The Violet following behind.

 

Rose and Violet, there you have it,

Mothers of my wife and I,

And though their petals have disappeared

Their memory will never die.

 

Our hearts ache at their passing

But their memory soothes our pain,

Their families have been knitted together

While their legacy remains.

 

 

 

Rose and Violet, though different

Are still very much alike,

Mothers in Zion and beyond

Still filling our memory with delight.

 

Wonderful examples of parenting

Of an excellence that far surpasses duty,

Today and always we celebrate them

Two flowers of rarest beauty.

 

Stewart Russell © April 8, 2021

 

 

Into May

As this year speeds along

And we swing into May

Let me start by wishing you

A very wonderful day.

It’s more or less the same

As the month before

But God will give us grace

To help us to endure.

Thank God for the showers

He has sent us each day

And from all appearances

There’ll be some more in May.

Grateful for the May flowers

That came out yesterday,

Remember this is spring time

So expect a lot in May.

The big day coming up

Is the 24^thof May,

On that day the voters in Barbados

Will have their greatest say.

They alone will determine

The nation’s decision makers,

On that rare occasion

They get to be movers and shakers.

Elections have been called

And the predictions have begun

As every concerned Barbadian 

Anticipates the outcome.

An ugly act has occurred

To mar the ongoing campaign,

Let’s pray to God above

There’ll be no such act again.

Vandals broke the windows

Of a DLP constituency office, 

An act both D’s and B’s resented

And have publicly dissed.

Both D’s and B’s have declared

Zero tolerance for vandalism,

They’ve called on their supporters

To refrain from such fanaticism. 

Church leadership has called

On all parties to keep it clean

And to keep mudslinging and violence 

Off the campaign scene.

Barbados has a great history

Of peaceful and fair elections,

All parties must therefore strive

To sustain this rich tradition.

I’m still losing friends

At a phenomenal rate,

At two funerals per week

You could imagine my state.

That’s not all though,

On Monday I attended two,

Now there are three pending,

That’s my funeral review.

By now New Year resolutions

Would have faded away,

Four months have passed

Since New Year’s Day.

Hopefully some good practices

Are now in place

Even if at this point

There is only a trace.

Any improvement is good,

Such will stymie the bad

And though it mightn’t be much

There’s still reason to be glad.

I must remind one and all

That now is the best time for change,

Don’t wait for a new year

To have your life positively rearrange

And so as we move into

The second quarter of this year

Have a Spirit filled one,

That is my earnest prayer.

Stewart Russell © May 2018