Poem by Robert Hamblin: Rose Bush

It’s a climbing rose,

without a trellis or support.

Its long, thin canes

slump downward,

leaning the bright, red blooms

nearly to the ground.

Roses are not made

for the earth,

but for the air.

I drive a garden stake

into the ground,

tie the limbs to the stake

with jute twine,

aiming the bush skyward.

We all occasionally need

a helping hand

to lift us off the ground

and set us to climbing.

That’s what friends are for.

Robert Hamblin is an emeritus professor of English at Southeast Missouri State University, where he taught for 50 years and served as the founding director of the school’s Center for Faulkner Studies. He is the author or editor of nearly 60 books, including poetry, fiction, literary criticism, biographies and memoirs.