The Rose of Auschwitz ©

Ashen gray clouds heavy from too much hate dimmed the silhouette of a soldier

Trudging slowly through this landscape of stench and despair,

His shoulders stooped  under the heavy burden of war. 

In his backpack among bullets manufactured in hate he carried chocolates of hope and love

Whose sweet smell was overwhelmed by the smells of smoldering metal and flesh.

Feeling hopeless in this chamber of death he sensed a pleasant fragrance causing him to look down.

There in the dust and ashes he saw the bright red color of a Rose –

Its freshness and sweetness denying the ugliness of human hate.

Holding tightly to that Rose, he began to pass out chocolates and hugs

With words of freedom that had sustained those still clinging to life.

The soldier planted the Rose in a container of dirt that survived the storm tossed trip

To a harbor in New York  with a Lady holding a Torch as a Beacon

To light the way of all those tired and poor travelers weary of war and yearning to be free.

The soldier carried the Rose to a hill outside his home  in Penn’s Forest

Near the City of Brotherly Love.

A giant oak tree called The Tree of Life grew there nourishing the squirrels with its acorns and

The ground with the mulch of its fallen leaves for the rebirth of flowers and trees in the spring.

To provide a safe nest for the birds filling the air with the beauty of diverse life and song.

And Rose grew strong at the center of this Tree of Life and blossomed for ninety-seven seasons.

Those visiting the garden were filled with the joy of her blossoms of love and peace.

Suddenly, on a dark day with clouds heavy laden with hate,

A lightning bolt borne of these clouds pierced through the Rose,

Breaking her into single bright red petals and she was no more.

Mourners gently carried her petals to a site for a time for mourning and grief.

Filled with the love of her memory their tears moistened the earth.

And the light of spring brought forth a new Season of Love.

And the garden that sprang forth boasted a host of beautiful Roses to keep that love alive once more.

Make America Great Again