The jasmine climbed the garden wall

To see what lay beyond.

It took a month or maybe more;

The plant was slow, but strong.

And when at last it reached the top

The view was worth the wait –

Such vistas as it never dreamed,

Beyond the garden gate!

It gazed upon the fields of green

It smiled upon the pond

It gasped to see the golden gleam

That touched the hills beyond.

And then it heard a fragrant voice

From somewhere closer by.

A vine with blossoms blushing pink;

With manner sweet and shy.

At once the jasmine was bewitched –

Such beauty it must woo;

It pledged to bridge the dreadful gap

That lay between the two.

And so, across this great divide,

It grew a tendril long.

The days and weeks passed slowly by;

The plant was slow but strong.

And when, one balmy summer’s eve,

The two at last entwined,

The coral vine blushed deeper pink,

The jasmine gave a sigh.

© by Belinda Veldman.
Used with the author’s permission.