To A Flower

(Sampaguita)

Fairest bloom of summer,
Kissed by May time shower;
Why must you leave so soon,
Oh, sweetheart of the moon?

Now that storm days have come,
Joys in my heart are gone;
Blossoms that I adore,
Fragrance possessed, no more.

Fallen petals that deck,
The earth I now collect;
Faded, precious token,
Of star drops from heaven.

I'll always remember,
Withered bits of summer;
And cherish with fondness,
Your enchanting sweetness.




by: Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento

Gumamela

You grow within the rhythm of summer and rain,
Singing to your bright red blossom that looks so grand to me;
Though you breathe no scent of unforgettable fragrance,
You tenderly clutch my heart with a touch of mystery.

For even when you leave so soon at the close of the day,
And your withered petals down to the ground, crinkled, they lay;
Yet the splendid radiance of your color I recall
Till shadows of night lure my carefree soul to slumber fall.

And when the world is warm, again you rise and ache to bloom,
Then burn with gay colors of blazing hues, defying the gloom;
When I gently caress your ruffled hem, you seem to smile,
Spread your gown with more flare, filling the earth with cheer awhile.




by: Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento

That Garden

In the tender morning of my life,
I walked that garden with delight;
And there, I adored you, teacher dear,
Indeed, you rivaled the flowers fair.

There, I beheld you in wild envy,
And dreamed to be like you someday;
For knowledge, you have made my mind yearn,
And my heart, with fascination burn.

So fondly I watched with face aglow,
As you unfurled the mystery of the rainbow;
While the happy fleeting butterflies
Peeped at the secrets before their eyes.

Then came the day I left quite suddenly,
And traced a path I have not forsaken
The hours of splendor in that garden.




by: Maria Luisa Tejero Torrento