Glossy Jewels

The aristocracy of the well-mannered
garden know their place in the scheme
of things, and theirs is front-and-centre
the showpieces of grand display
sumptuously flaunting their blooms
of radiant colour, ruffling their petals
in conceited and hugely admired
demonstrations of sheer perfection.
There is not much that persuades
roses to obey nature's dictum when
fall arrives and other, less distinguished
garden inhabitants succumb to the
pressures of wind, rain and cold.
Certainly roses have no intention of
joining them, not without the drama
of their final presentation as the curtain
of summer bloom-time falls and 
autumn demands its due in withering
detail. And so, peruse the garden, the
stubborn and glorious roses grandly
flouting the season, setting buds and
nurturing them to full bloom despite the
wicked rain that pelts from the cloud
crowded sky unrelenting in its fury
unaware that in washing over those roses
it transforms the petals into glossy jewels.