It was springtime and while out shopping at the local grocer,
I bought a bright yellow tulip.
Potted in a crude vessel its stem was sturdy and its blooms healthy,
A beautiful specimen despite its humble beginnings.
I enjoyed its beauty as it took a place of prominence
In the center of my small kitchen table.
Each day its color treated the eye,
As it brought a sense of renewed life to all that surrounded it.
Then as if it was tired of standing, its beauty spent, it bowed its head.
With a simple kitchen spoon,
I dug a hole and unceremoniously planted its bulb by the wall in the corner of my yard.
Could it survive the passing of time to bloom to its full beauty come spring?
This would be the test.
It slept deep within the ground throughout the summer and on into the bitter winter.
The intense warmth of the spring sun awakened the sleeping bud.
With all its stored up strength,
It forced its way up through the encrusted earth reaching towards the sky for warmth.
As if to mock its initiative spring snows fell cold upon its tender leaves.
The weight proved too heavy dragging the new growth back down to the earth.
Daily I watched the flower struggle.
I did not tend to its needs nor did I shelter it from the harsh realities of the fickle seasons,
For this was the test.
Fighting against nature at her cruelest is a test for all living things.
With one hand she bears you and with the other she crushes you,
As she challenges you to call upon all that makes you strong.
Yes in all its fragile beauty the tulip passed the test,
For when the late snow melted it again stood straight and tall
A fine example it was to me to each day endeavor to pass the test.
Photo by Tree of Life Artworks
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