THY span of life was all too short—
A week or two at best—
From budding-time, through blossoming,
To withering and rest.
Yet compensation hast thou—aye!—
For all thy little woes;
For was it not thy happy lot
To live and die a rose?
John Kendrick Bangs
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/to-a-whithered-rose/
