"November Rose"

It's a Jane or Johnny-come-lately,
the solitary rose in my garden,
a harvest holdover or belated bloom
that's risen when the others have died.

It has none to compete for affection,
isn't lost in a sea of red.

I ponder its predicament,
think of it as lonely,
regretting it didn't blossom sooner
when the buzz of flying insects
were droning their affection.

I'll water it in the evening,
as stars speck the sky in Autumn's cool.
I'll sing it to sleep
as I retire,
pray for grace
should the frost strike swift.

From 'Selected Poems 2000-2012' by Andreas Gripp


I thought the climbing rose over the arch in the garden at Mum's had long since finished blooming.  So imagine our surprise to see several pretty little flowers peeping down at us under a sunny blue sky this afternoon.  Despite the strong winds, I was outside gathering fallen twigs and bits of willow tree branch at dusk in just a T-shirt and sweat pants.  I wasn't the slightest bit chilly - more like a late summer evening than mid-November with Christmas less than 6 weeks away.  I hear we are in for a big temperature drop at the end of the week, though, so let's make the most of it.