poem for Mountainair's pocket

I generally peddle poetry on its own blog, but today is the last day of another National Poetry Month and "Poem In Your Pocket Day." That means sharing favorites outside their usual zone.

This poem, Cultivo una rosa blanca, is not just a favorite but also strikingly apropos: we should all cultivate white roses for one another:

Cultivo Una Rosa Blanca
Por Jose Marti

Cultivo una rosa blanca
En julio como en enero,
Para el amigo sincero
Que me da su mano franca.

Y para el cruel que me arranca
El corazon con que vivo,
Cardo ni ortiga cultivo,
Cultivo una rosa blanca.


I Cultivate a White Rose
By Jose Marti

I cultivate a white rose
In July as in January
For the sincere friend
Who gives me his hand frankly.

And for the cruel person who tears out
the heart with which I live,
I cultivate neither nettles nor thorns:
I cultivate a white rose.