Near Shady Wall a Rose Once Grew

Beautiful funeral or memorial poem by A.L. Frink, about grieving for something you’ve lost with the metaphor of a rose.

Near Shady Wall a Rose Once Grew

Near shady wall a rose once grew

Budded and blossomed in God's free light,

Watered and fed by morning dew

Shedding its sweetness day and night.

 

As it grew and blossomed fair and tall

Slowly rising to loftier height,

It came to a crevice in the wall

Through which there shone a beam of light.

 

Onward it crept with added strength

With never a thought of fear of pride,

It followed the light through the crevices length

And unfolded itself on the other side.

 

The light, the dew, the broadening view

Were found the same as they were before,

And it lost itself in beauties new

Breathing its fragrance more and more.

 

Shall claim of death cause us to grieve

And make our courage faint or fail,

Nay, let us faith and hope receive,

The rose still grows beyond the wall

Scattering fragrance far and wide,

Just as it did in the days of yore

Just as it did on the other side

Just as it will forever more.

 

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