A Second Hibiscus
How man and tree grew together
Outside, the air had taken on a decided chill
and the red-orange petals remained clustered against this unnatural pall.
For the tree had not grown in these parts
and learned the long sleep that kept its kin alive.
.
The hibiscus did not understand the cycle of fading and renewal.
Only endless summer and constant rain.
The embrace of humidity so unyielding
that droplets nearly condensed on forever-green leaves.
.
The Virginia summers had been most accommodating in that regard.
But far from the equator, the sun had drifted away.
And though the hibiscus did not know what was to come,
I had seen it before.
.
I had watched the freezing rain
slash away the few remaining leaves.
In near constant pain, I felt little but indifference.
Its demise only mirrored my own dark thoughts.
.
But a year on, I had regained some of what I lost.
Some of that healing achieved through the bond
formed between man
and a second tree.
.
Each morning, I emerged to prune the old blooms,
to return them and the aged leaves to the soil.
I would grant the massive volumes of water needed,
delight at each storm that might remind it of home,
and marvel at the dozens of fiery blooms.
.
And now, with autumn clawing at my friend’s trunk,
I vowed to keep the demons at bay
both the growing chill
and my own scars.
.
I stepped outside,
savoring the cool bite at the back of my nostrils.
After retreat comes renewal, the air whispered.
Why deny it the chance?
.
“For you,” I replied with a sad smile.
“For me as well.”
Then I turned to my stalwart companion.
“But why must it suffer with us?”
.
The air did not offer an answer as I hoisted the pot,
trundling on knees that still ached but could now bear the load.
“Come along, my friend,” I whispered to the leaves inches from my face.
“There’s a much warmer place just beyond the door.”
.
And so the second hibiscus escaped its precursor’s fate
and, in defiance of the gloom beyond, bloomed again and again
until brown turned to green once more.
And it has continued to serve as a brilliant beacon for years on end.
A beacon to guide those lost.
About the Creator
Stephen A. Roddewig
Author of A Bloody Business and the Dick Winchester series. Proud member of the Horror Writers Association 🐦⬛
Also a reprint mercenary. And humorist. And road warrior. And Felix Salten devotee.
And a narcissist:
Reader insights
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Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
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Comments (18)
Returning, Stephen, to congratulate you on your win! I was hoping to see your name here.👏👏💙
Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
Congrats, fucker! love you, sir! not a poet, still?
Well well well 😁 And we place together again. Well done, sir.
Gee Mr. "I'm not a poet"... This was such a beautifully tragic tale you wove in poetic verse!! I love it!!! Ps. Late congrats on Top Story!!
✅✅✅
Such a beautiful poem, Stephen. I hope to see this one in the winner's circle. Congratulations on your astounding top story! 🌺👏
Such powerful words! I really loved "after retreat comes renewal.." Seems to echo in my head. Very good :)
Damn, bro! You nailed the feeling here. And the fact that the tree bloomed is a sign of great times to come. It appreciates the love and attention you give it and decided to show you, its gratitude. Now I want a tree, haha. Jokes aside, you can tell this one came straight from the heart. Kudos, my friend!
Throughout this, I was looking for my favorite stanza because I knew I couldn't find a line or two that would cut it, and I just....it kept getting better. I was reminded of "The Giving Tree" in parts, but mostly, I just saw everything you wrote here extremely vividly. It was the subtle lines below that really built up the hibiscus as a central metaphor, and that allowed it to work so well in my mind: "For the tree had not grown in these parts and learned the long sleep that kept its kin alive." "In near constant pain, I felt little but indifference. Its demise only mirrored my own dark thoughts." "A beacon to guide those lost." Just, wow, Stephen. "trundling on knees that still ached but could now bear the load."
Boom. Sir. Congrats on Top Story!
This was such a lovely poem. A deep reflection indeed. You show how much you care about the plants.
splendid poem
Damn. Speechless. This was beautiful Stephen. Truly. What everyone said below and I'll add that this will be a Top Story before long Thank you for posting this.. privileged to read it.
Really, really beautiful work, Stephen. It is such a wonderful thing when writers can take a 'small' moment or thing and bring out depths of reflection and feeling from just beneath the surface - this poem is a stellar example. Remarkable stuff, friend! :)
another Stephen poem, how could we be so lucky?!?
An effective and nicely inspiring piece, Stephen!
Fantastic gratitude poem!!! Loving it!!!