each life is a flower
that enters the world
a tightly knit bud
with petals beneath
safe and sound
protected from harm
soon energy begins to flow
and the color from within
begins to emerge
and sometimes it hurts
as the petals push open
to let in the morning dew
and the light of the sun
that encourages it
to blossom and to grow
and to send forth its
inner essence and its
strength to the world
that has been within
the bud all along