L o v e ’ s F l o w e r

by Frank L. Norris.

Illustration by M. Torre Hood.

HROUGHOUT this life a moral runs,

And ye who read may learn

That God has placed in every heart

A sacred fire, to burn

And flash so long as life may last—

A priceless treasure trove,

A garden fair, beyond compare,

Where blooms the flower called love.

A flower that’s warmed by passion’s flame,

And fed by pleasure’s dew,

Its curling petals reaching out

Like beckoning hands to you.

But pluck it! ere with perfume gone,

It hangs its drooping head,

Nor passion stay from day to day

Until that flower is dead.

“But pluck it! ere with perfume gone,

It hangs its drooping head.”