Sharing a poem by Terry Burns

We were returning from a trip. Saundra lost a baby to crib death and we were coming through where he was buried. She wanted to mark the grave but it was a Sunday and all we could find was a single rose in a convenience store. I had her drive and I wrote a poem on the back of an envelope. The rose, with the poem, made everything okay. For some reason I felt moved to share it with you today.



The Rose

No gaudy display of  floral profusion

No acres of  flowers in splendid confusion

No two dozen roses so tall and so proud

But the statement they make is a little too loud.

Sometimes love must be whispered, not shouted,

So that the message truly cannot be doubted.

Sometimes one rose, alone and so shy

Can testify loving, and then tell you why.

It says “I love you and remember you, too.”

Carries all the feelings that I bring to you.

So listen now when the whispers start

And know that the message comes straight from my heart.

Written in just a matter of minutes to give comfort to my wife, this simple poem has been reprinted numerous times, has been in a greeting card, and won a national poetry competition. A single rose is still very special to us. When something is right, it is right . . . the first time.