Lenten Rose

Sheltering among the shy
Hellebore blooms ~
In a time that was not yet spring ~
And yet not winter either ~
I knelt and looked into the
Faces of the flowers ~

They were turning their
Beauty away from the sun ~
As I had not seen others
Of their kind do ~
And I was thereupon intrigued ~

I found that Hellebores are
Also called the Lenten Rose ~
One of the earliest promises
That spring will come again ~
Made in a language each one
Of us can understand ~