Prairie Rose
Prairie Rose, sister of mine,
here at a distance,
I imagine you in full bloom
before your long winter.
I gather the best parts of you close in memory,
taking care with your acicula, as I have my whole life,
wondering why you seemed to need those parts
that kept us from clutching you too closely.
I thank you for seeding the future of our line.
Your grandchildren, the harvest of your life,
playful as otters even in their twenties,
award your existence by theirs.
We bring you with love back to where you came from,
scatter your fallen petals
on the prairie loam,
and shovel it over that you may join it.
In case you didn’t know it, as I didn’t, “acicula” are needlelike parts: thorns, spines, bristles, or needlelike crystals. The singular form is “aciculum.”
The rose hips are where the rose seeds are contained. Not doing any deadheading of the old rose blooms will allow the rose hips to form, which can then be harvested either to use the seeds inside to grow a new rose bush. Rosehips may be eaten, taking care to avoid the hairs that line the inside of the fruit and often times cover the seeds. They are literally itching powder and uncomfortable enough when they come into contact with your skin, let alone ingesting them!
A lovely poem Judy
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Thanks, Sadje.
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You’re welcome
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A very sweet poem about your sister, I assume.
By the way, rosehips can be used to make rosehip jelly and rosehip tea.
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