The inscription . . .

We can't know why the lily

has so brief a time to bloom

in the warmth of sunlight's kiss upon its face

before it folds its fragrance in

and bids the world good-night

to rest its beauty in a gentler place

But we can know

that nothing that is loved is ever lost

and no-one who has ever touched a heart

can really pass away

because some beauty lingers on

in each memory in which they've been a part