7. love

Unfurling, like petals,

the sighs of love

transform

from well defined bud

in the loves of youth,

to the soft and flowing

of its flowering.

Do not cut from its stem,

from the bindings

of promise,

do not neglect to feed

and nurture with affection.

Do not forget its root

the example it must follow,

or plant in shallow soil

where it will starve

for lack of touch.

Do not pot it

nor place it in a bouquet,

do not make it a valentine

for a day

where it will haemorrhage its colour

and bleed its life.

Shelter it from the blistering

of heat,

the lust of gales

and biting of frost.

Place it in the kissing

of the sun

and the caress of gentle breeze.