1.  
She has broken through the loam,
urged upward 
by waiting sunlight
and just the right timing.
She is freed;
her promise unburied
and opening 
into velveteen petals bright
with unabashed color.

2.
Nothing is that simple, of course.
The wind swirls with forces
that test her stem strength.
She risks being thwarted
by choking weeds,
by raging rain,
by her own temptation
to sink back down
into familiar dark
suspension.

3.
She dreams of reaching
full bloom
on her own terms:
never cut short,
never stuffed into a vase,
trapped and wilting.

4.
Dreams are just the start.