Late Rose Poem by Paul Reed

You hold your head high in defiance
With beauty to match the ragged thorn
Though rocked by harsh blasts and gusts
My humble border you still adorn

Your pure and delicate fragrance
My veiled and wearied thoughts accost
A sweet and sensuous nosegay
As if to revive the summer long-lost

I know that all this is temporary
But, like the slanting autumnal sun's rays
Your moment is to be cherished and treasured
To carry me through the darker days