Resilience

London Pride - a wild flower

Out of wreckage and destruction

broken streets in bomb blitzed London,

razed when warfare wreaked its havoc,

causing life loss and despair.

From the darkest, bleakest hours,

sprang the sight of tiny flowers

as they struggled through the rubble,

stretched their necks to breathe in air.

Where no other plant life flourished,

soon these pretty rosette faces

colonised the empty spaces,

spread themselves without a care.

Free and easy in surroundings,

pretty pink their pearly petals,

covered empty barren places,

stronger grew and settled there.

Out of wreckage and destruction,

when each day it's hard to function,

search for nature's wiser counsel,

grief a task we all must bear.

Let with time there come solutions,

every season brings a reason,

courage sent to help us cope

with welcome sprigs of new found hope.

Reviews

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

Christine, this is a wonderful poem and anthem for London and it’s struggle to survive the decimation of WW2. Great metaphor of the little wildflowers growing undauntedly through debris as they changed the landscape of destruction by being the visual embodiments of “resilience” and hope. Your uplifting and transcendent words, presented in a perfection of form, flow, cadence, imagery and rhyme, is truly Master-Class work. Brava!

[Chris Shaw]

Dear Annette, you are too kind with your wonderful review. I am so pleased that you enjoyed this poem, because I actually put a great deal of work into it. It makes me feel now as though it was all worth it. Thank you.

Chris

[Shafika Fathima]

I liked the multiple reference to the modern era and I connected it with Eliot's Wasteland. The ideas that he portrays are seen reflected here. The metaphor of a wild flower makes the poem a speaker of its times, is what I think.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Shakira for a thoughtful review. I appreciate you stopping by. Have a good Tuesday.

Chris

[Neville]

Just popped in quickly as busy myself this mane .. it seems you are responsible for my back on back reminiscing today .. how well you depict the horrors of the blitz .. and how well too the grit the guts and the resilience of those folk of yesteryear and nature of course .. My own Mum was put on a train out of Plymouth with her Micky Mouse gas mask and placed with a host family in Princetown on Dartmoor where it was of course much safer .. My word, how I do enjoy delving into your archives Chris .. Neville

[Chris Shaw]

That generation certainly knew what resilience was. My aunt was evacuated, but not my mum. She stayed in London. The strange thing is evacuation had a life changing effect on my aunt, and yet my mum who had bombs falling around her didn’t suffer in the same way. Pleased you thought of your own mum when reading this poem Neville. What a very kind review you have left here. I truly appreciate you. Have a good Tuesday.

Chris

[Dave]

Chris - this is so full of hope! That out of even the deepest darkness there is life waiting to blossom. A light that will relieve us or at least assuage the hurt and anguish that we feel.

I hope that all is well with you - Dave

[Chris Shaw]

All is good Dave and I thank you for leaving such a lovely review. I appreciate you.

Chris

[Dave]

It's always a pleasure to read you writing.

Take care - Dave

[Emily B]

Hope is the thing. Worthy words this morning.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Emily B. Without hope, we have nothing. I appreciate your visit.

Chris

[Butters]

Beautifully written and something I needed to hear today.

[Chris Shaw]

a sprig of hope. Thank you for reading.

[Ranger Kessel]

I love your form and subject matter. This was a very good read. I am proud of you. Thanks for sharing it!

[Chris Shaw]

So pleased you enjoyed the read. It took a bit of time to write. Thank you.

Chris

[Undying Glory]

Great work here. It's so poignant, that even plants can display so much effort and power in growing in even the harshest environments. If plants can show this much grit and resilience, what more then are we capable of?
"Out of wreckage and destruction,
when each day it's hard to function,
search for nature's wiser counsel,
grief a task we all must bear."
I really love this part in the poem. Beautiful!

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much. We can learn much from Mother Nature.

Chris

[Terry L & Linda L Shuff]

Great Poem of the tenacity of life. Perfect form. congrats !

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you so much for your kind review.

Chris

[Nathan Spark]

Very uplifting. thank you

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Nathan for pour kind comment.

[...]

Experience of war is always tragic. There is lost and great fear etc. At your poem are lot of great imaginery although you don't bring any gore pictures or scene. I think that's important you don't forget to keep beauty on live. Poem ha e very nice flow and seems to me very truthful.

[Chris Shaw]

Thank you Martin. Yes this poem is based on fact. The flower the London Pride grew where bombs destroyed the buildings. It grew in the rubble.