A Second Hibiscus

Outside, the air had taken on a decided chill

and the red-orange petals remained clustered against this unnatural pall.

For the tree had not grown in these parts

and learned the long sleep that kept its kin alive.

.

The hibiscus did not understand the cycle of fading and renewal.

Only endless summer and constant rain.

The embrace of humidity so unyielding

that droplets nearly condensed on forever-green leaves.

.

The Virginia summers had been most accommodating in that regard.

But far from the equator, the sun had drifted away.

And though the hibiscus did not know what was to come,

I had seen it before.

.

I had watched the freezing rain

slash away the few remaining leaves.

In near constant pain, I felt little but indifference.

Its demise only mirrored my own dark thoughts.

.

But a year on, I had regained some of what I lost.

Some of that healing achieved through the bond

formed between man

and a second tree.

.

Each morning, I emerged to prune the old blooms,

to return them and the aged leaves to the soil.

I would grant the massive volumes of water needed,

delight at each storm that might remind it of home,

and marvel at the dozens of fiery blooms.

.

And now, with autumn clawing at my friend’s trunk,

I vowed to keep the demons at bay

both the growing chill

and my own scars.

.

I stepped outside,

savoring the cool bite at the back of my nostrils.

After retreat comes renewal, the air whispered.

Why deny it the chance?

.

“For you,” I replied with a sad smile.

“For me as well.”

Then I turned to my stalwart companion.

“But why must it suffer with us?”

.

The air did not offer an answer as I hoisted the pot,

trundling on knees that still ached but could now bear the load.

“Come along, my friend,” I whispered to the leaves inches from my face.

“There’s a much warmer place just beyond the door.”

.

And so the second hibiscus escaped its precursor’s fate

and, in defiance of the gloom beyond, bloomed again and again

until brown turned to green once more.

And it has continued to serve as a brilliant beacon for years on end.

A beacon to guide those lost.