She came out
on the first day of sunshine
and stood proud
(in a carpet
of last year’s dried grass)
through a week of hail and rain
even braving snow
to show
her beauty.
By the time her sister
(who could have been a twin)
joined her, she was fading,
but still strong.
A bold spirit wrapped
in gold-shot purple silk,
she held the frost at bay.
When their much younger
sibling (or niece or daughter)
came peeping
blue and fresh behind their skirts
(small and impertinent as is the way
of the very young)
she was old,
paper-thin and ragged
but still challenging
the cold.