Pale Maiden

Tenderly the green stalk trembles
as the peaty wind slips out of sight.

A bell of petals chiming sunshine
to the hammer of a yellow light.

Gentle beauty where the wiry grasses grow,
I watch your time of honour come and go

that I might learn the hardiness
of gentleness;

tenacity of love.

(c) A McN

The Pale Maiden is a flower of the Falkland Islands, not unlike a Harebell. It is a delicate beautiful plant growing in bleak windswept places.