Beauty is not fragile
it’s what persists
despite adversity
despite pain and loss

for example the rose
that returns season
after season its dignity
unabashed by icy storms

and as one year’s petals
wither and die new buds
are forming deep within
awaiting their moment

or the beauty of oaks
centuries old bastions
of ancient woodlands
and wide open meadows

custodians of time
and of the earth
and the eternal cycle
of life and death

John Lyons