On the other side of the door . . .

ON THE THRESHOLD

See a blossom in your mind’s eye.

Allow it to fill the interior of your imagination.

Greater perfection of form in nature cannot be imagined.

With inward gaze absorb each wondrous fluted petal.

Slide down its humid surface

Until you drop as the dew into its velvety core.

Immerse your senses in this safe chamber.

Such fragile beauty gives impulse to weep.

Slowly reverse the journey;

As you ascend the shaft toward

Wider light, turn your Imagination around and around

To see its many facets.

Stored within is the memory of all flowers.

Marvel that this creation, while

Utterly fragile—yet undaunted,

Boldly buds forth turning

Resolutely toward the sun.

We, too, shimmer with

Expectation, exuding our own

Illumination, color, pulse, and scent.

Vulnerable, still we venture our

Lives courageously toward hope

And light, at once fragile and rooted.

-- Rev. Carolyn Owen-Towle