Heather: A Gentle Benediction
Elegiac Free Verse for Our Palliative Care Volunteer
Heather –
named for the white bloom*
that threads protection through wild hills,
good fortune’s quiet blossom,
a wish released into the hush
of a winter morning.
She arrives at our abode
gentle as petals, breathing
colour into Anne’s world,
her soothing laughter a spray of light
on the pale walls, her kindness
an infusion – soft and essential –
a life force, floral and profound.
In her presence, peace gathers
like dawn on heather moors,
her bi-weekly visits knitting the hours
with gentleness, a perfection
not sought but simply lived,
effortless as beauty, as breath.
She is what we wish for,
the being we are open to love,
our lucky bloom,
a poetic spirit who answers
with compassion, and leaves
our world – and yours – ever more tender in her wake.
Your friend,
Robert
https://robertmcbrydeauthor.com/
Heather Meaning and Symbolism: https://share.google/gLVANaFawuWPAWp4E
*White Heather: Rare and highly prized, symbolizing good luck, wishes coming true, protection, purity, and freedom from danger.
www.hospicecareottawa.ca / http://www.lamaisondesoinspalliatifsdottawa.ca
This wonderful organization connected us with Heather, who spends two hours per week with Anne, a soothing presence by the side of my serene loved one in a world of colour and poetry.
