“Where did the flowers go?”

by Bob Perks

I miss the colors of my garden.

Where did the flowers go?

I miss them swaying with the breath of God

And standing still in the warmth of His light.

In the morning they were eager to face the day

Heads low until the first sunbeam dances across their face

Responding then in gratitude they rise to greet the sun.

More faithful than I, they rise to the occasion even on cloudy days.

Somehow knowing that beyond the clouds, on the darkest of days,

The sun keeps its promise, still.

I miss the colors of my garden.

Where did the flowers go?

Perhaps, by some divine intervention, the colors do not fade away

but are absorbed into the leaves of a million nearby trees.

The yellows of the daffodil, the redness of the rose, the purple of the pansy

and the orange of the day lily take my breath away once more.

In that cycle of life the colors soon fall back down to earth to sleep perhaps until spring.

I sigh… “I miss the colors of autumn leaves. Where did the colors go?”

Then, God responds unexpectedly in stark contrast to winter’s black and white,

painting the sky before me with a blazing sunset.