C. P. Holder (Feburary 1972 / High Point, North Carolina)

A rose bud young and tender
Like our youth so pure
The beginning of life

Now the bud partly open almost a rose
Youth and innocence almost gone
Our teenage years almost an adult

The rose in full bloom now
In all it's glory and beauty
This is the prime of life the best of our years

Rose with petals fading and beginning to drop
The autumn of life our body weakening
These are our last and golden years

A withered stem all that remains of what was once a rose
Our body an empty shell to be buried when death comes
This is the end of life and the rose

We are all roses and should live our lives to the fullest before we become a withered stem.