Lantana After Rain

The Lantana bushes
have renewed themselves.
Dried sparsity of summer blooming
has been replaced by profuse clusters 
of the tender flowers.

I find that I am newly loving them:
the buds like small square packages
that open to reveal their tender curves,
the vulnerability that eagerly receives
wind-driven rain.

I wallow in their youth, 
remembering 
my own susceptibility when young,
the sensitivity and openness 
that left me drenched in tears.

I stand and gaze upon
the beauty of their delicate courage, 
their bold exposure to the elements.
And I can almost see my own renewal:
my brave acceptance of the drenching rain.