Mountain-Laurel

Like a mountain laurel…

Like a mountain-laurel
that’s white as the snow
that does not fail to fall
even as spring threatens
its existence
in the warmth of April

Like a mountain-laurel
with captivating beauty
that hypnotizes the bee
that settles on it to suck
the nectar
that it generously offers

Like a mountain-laurel
that dares to look wind
in the eyes so that it can
open up and sway with
the rhythm
that it has come to love

Like a mountain-laurel
that stands tall to give
the young buds news of
the beautiful world they
live in
so they long to grow tall

Like a mountain-laurel
turning to small brown
bags that glide down to
ground to let the buds
be higher,
look down, and love…

This poem was written in the loving memory of Zaheer Asif, my maternal uncle who passed away on April 4th, 2004.