Fading Carnations

XXIII : Song of the Flower (in part)

I am the lover's gift; I am the wedding wreath;
I am the memory of a moment of happiness;
I am the last gift of the living to the dead;
I am a part of joy and a part of sorrow.

Khalil Gibran (1883-1931)

from 'A Tear and a Smile' (1914)