Sarah Willowby’s Flowers

They met in the Spring when the grass was just green
And the scent of jasmine bloomed in the air.
He saw her walking alone by the stream
And he fell for Sarah Willowby there.

He gave her a flower, one perfect rose
And promised another for each new day.
“For as long as you’re mine you’ll always know,”
“I’m thinking of you in this little way.”

She kept each new flower in a small vase
And pressed old ones in a book by her bed.
When asked why she kept them she’d smile and say,
“It’s not a book but a garden instead.”

They kept their love strong and lived for the day
When they could build a new life with each other.
In the blink of an eye years flew away,
Unremarked but for each day’s new flower.

Now if you’ll look in that lot down the lane
You’ll see a grave piled high with dried roses.
No one will touch them, they stay where they lay,
As Sarah Willowby gives back her flowers.