Deadheading the Roses

The miniature pink rose is brightly blooming now,  

but its spent flowers bow: she pinches these by hand.

This “tool” is banned by Sunset Gardening, which tells us how  

to cut with clippers (a sacred cow), yet Alison can’t stand  

to when, you see, it’s grand to feel the plant allow

such gentle nips—anyhow, fingers crave a verdant land.

---

Alison Jennings is a retired public schoolteacher and former CPA; throughout her life, she has composed over 400 poems, and recently published a couple of them. She lives in Seattle, and writes poetry whenever she has a moment to contemplate the universe in a thoughtful manner.