A Lover Akin To Bamboo Poem by Paul Hartal

“Oh, I’m neither rude nor rigid”, he said.
“I’m rather like a cactus fruit, thorny outside
but sweet inside.”

“Yet, I prefer a lover
who is akin to the bamboo”, she said.

“Now, now, my dear”, he remonstrated.
“ What is so special about the bamboo? ”

“Well, just look at a bamboo tree.
How strong it is on the outside
while soft and open on the inside.
Its fibrous roots hold firmly in the ground.
The bamboo is both stable and flexible,
and its stalk moves freely in the wind.”