Non-Collige Virgo Rosas
"Gather, Girl, the Roses"
"Gather, Girl, the Roses"
Morning gathers
at the curtains; my girl
with her cheeks like summer roses,
my child with sleepy blue eyes sees
the first bright moment of the day,
and laughs out loud. Now
as the kitten scrambles, just now,
beneath the covers, that laughter gathers
over our heads and the day
light disappears with the kitten and girl,
until my sleepy eyed child sees
the pink and yellow roses
beneath the covers, that laughter gathers
over our heads and the day
light disappears with the kitten and girl,
until my sleepy eyed child sees
the pink and yellow roses
of her blanket and thinks of the roses
in our garden that are just now
beginning to bloom, and wants to see
them (now!) and smell them and gather
them into a very little girl
sized bouquet today.
in our garden that are just now
beginning to bloom, and wants to see
them (now!) and smell them and gather
them into a very little girl
sized bouquet today.
The blankets fly, her Fri-day
smile bright with promised roses -
this pink cheeked girl,
my blue eyed child. Now,
in her striped dress with gathers
at the waist, her hair braided, see
smile bright with promised roses -
this pink cheeked girl,
my blue eyed child. Now,
in her striped dress with gathers
at the waist, her hair braided, see
her jump from the the bed, see-
saw-and-swinging towards a day
in the garden; we gather
up the blanket with the roses
and the kitten, napping now,
and step out into the morning, my girl,
saw-and-swinging towards a day
in the garden; we gather
up the blanket with the roses
and the kitten, napping now,
and step out into the morning, my girl,
my blue eyed girl and I. She sees
only those flowers, now; but I see our days
filled with all the roses she can gather.
only those flowers, now; but I see our days
filled with all the roses she can gather.
Sandra Erickson
East Barre, Vermont
UNICEF
