The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Tell it to us again mommy,
How did we become a sight so catching?
Well, little buds, today we boast of being,
The most remarkable sight worth seeing.

It all began with Pete,
The first rose to grow from concrete.
Told he would never be anything,
Pete strove with his everything,
To achieve something great.
Something to alleviate the threat
Of the garden being covered forever,
By the laying of a mortar layer.
With no sunlight or air,
We all soon began to wilt and be laid bare.

But Pete pushed through the hard ground,
Till he saw light all around.
And spurred with the thought “Pete has done it!”
We all soon pushed through the dooming concrete
And remain today the most remarkable sight in Auckland,
Of roses growing out from sealed ground.
And so we honor the great and mighty Pete,
The rose that grew from concrete.


I wrote this in response to an invitation to submit a poem titled "The Rose that grew from Concrete".