Because Everything Matters by Ben Rasnic

The miniature rose bush
shed its paper thin pink
petals & delicate lime green leaves
with the first kiss
of November frost.

Against all odds, we brought the barren
rigid stems inside, carefully
tamping their fibrous roots
into a soothing caress
of organic potting soil;          

gave them a nourishing cocktail
of cool water & Miracle-Gro,
then patiently awaited
the re-animation of fresh green leaves
& vibrant new buds.

It would have been an easier choice
to abandon this life form
to its own primitive resources;
to die a natural death
& simply be replaced

the following spring
than to sacrifice five minutes                                                     
& three cubic feet
of den space,
the difference being       

what separates the dead of winter
from the magic of the season
where each new day begins
with the glow of transparent pink petals
in the pale morning light.



Author of four collections of poetry, Ben Rasnic currently resides in Bowie, Maryland crunching numbers for a living in Northern Virginia. His poems have been nominated for the Pushcart prize and for Best of the Net.