Last Rose of Summer

I step wearily off the front porch, Sugar eagerly wagging her tail, sniffing the air in hopes of finding her friends. She is already around the corner when I spy the rose on the bush by the corner of the house. The bush has not had flowers on it for some weeks now. I thought it dormant, preparing for winter, winding down the season like some tourist spot.

Yet here is a single perfect rose nodding nonchalantly in the morning air as if summer were in full swing and fall far away. Does it not know how quickly the nipping frost will curtail its days of glory? Does it not care that it may never come to full adulthood? It simply goes on gazing at the sun peacefully, enjoying the day, the present moment, the blue skies overhead.

Sugar jerks the leash, anxious to move on. What are you doing? she looks askance at me. I hold firm. I will capture the beauty of this brave flower. I take out my new iPhone and poke the camera icon. Snap! That was easy. Before I have a moment to catch my breath, Sugar pulls me toward the driveway and out into her usual route of investigation. She cares nothing for bravery or beauty. But my soul has been uplifted and my step is ever so slightly lighter.