Sea Rose
H.D. (Hilda Doolittle)

Rose, harsh rose,
marred and with stint of petals,
meager flower, thin,
spare of leaf,

more precious
than a wet rose
single on a stem --
you are caught in the drift.

Stunted, with small leaf,
you are flung on the sand,
you are lifted
in the crisp sand
that drives in the wind.