On the Sudden Appearance of Grace

Finally, a day without rain—breezy relief—I have walked for hours 
through this cool garden. Finally, I miss my mother. A surprise, but a good surprise— 
really. Why did my heart soften as I walked under cherry trees? 
Why did my heart crack open when I peered over the rose garden gate? 
The roses are hooded; unsightly. They will not bloom for at least two more months. 
No, you didn’t love me, did you? There is no answer, is there, 
for anything—no answer for why, right now, I can say yes to you. Yes, 
dear adversary, you would have loved this Star Magnolia: 
feisty bark; pale, tenacious buds; gnarled claws digging into the earth.