Poems (Hoffman)/Rosebuds (Silken sachets of perfume)

by Martha Lavinia Hoffman

ROSEBUDS

Silken sachets of perfumeSwinging in the sunny breeze,Viands in the banquet roomOf the butterflies and bees.

Dainty ladies velvet gowned,Or in lustrous satin dressed;Fairy pictures thus aboundChildish fancy might suggest.

Oh, the poor unsightly thing,Dwarfed, distorted, early doomedIs the bud so promisingThat the dimpled fingers bloomed!

Dimpled fingers cannot waitTill the tempting bud expands;Sudden wonders they create,Naughty, willful, active hands.

Folded petals pulled apart,Crimson satin backward pressed;Luckless blossom, what strange artBloomed you long before the rest?

With your petals bruised and torn,Only half your wonted size;Weary, sad, and so forlorn,What can your defects disguise?

Like the children, "we'll be good,"Patient, while God's purpose grows,He who formed the baby-budCan alone perfect the rose.