The Midnight Bloom

Fernando José Martínez Alderete  México

The garden sleeps in silver frost, Beneath a moon of white, While all the summer leaves are lost To winter’s quiet night.

But see, against the coming cold, A single petal wakes, With stories that are yet untold And paths the spirit takes.

A rose of red in January, Upon the frozen vine, A spark of hope, a sanctuary, Where old and new entwine.

It does not fear the changing year, Or what the winds may bring, It holds the secret, soft and clear: That winter dreams of spring.

So let us bloom like this tonight, Though bitter winds may blow, And find our own internal light Amidst the falling snow.

CLOCK

Fernando José Martínez Alderete, México

The clock is leaning toward the edge of night, A heavy weight of months begins to fade. We stand between the shadow and the light, Beside the ghost of every choice we’ve made. The calendar is thinning, leaf by leaf, Until the final pulse, the final breath, A mixture of our triumph and our grief, Is laid to rest beneath the winter’s wreath.

But look—the dark is not an empty space, It is the soil where tomorrow sleeps. The universe prepares a quiet place For every promise that a spirit keeps. The old year was a teacher, stern and wise, Who taught us how to bend but never break, Who showed us how the sun will always rise, Despite the lonely paths we had to take.

So let the midnight bells begin to chime, To wash the dust from every tired soul. We are the weavers of this fabric, Time, And every broken thread can be made whole. Discard the heavy cloak of ‘what has been,’ The bitter words, the burdens, and the fear. A golden gate is opening within, To welcome in the dawning of the year.

The path ahead is silent, soft, and deep, Unmarked by any footstep but your own. There are a thousand promises to keep, And fields of joy that yet remain unsown. May courage be your compass through the gale, May kindness be the lantern in your hand, For even when the strongest spirits fail, New hope will rise like tides upon the sand.

So here we stand, upon the silver line, With hands outstretched to touch the coming day. The stars above in silent witness shine, As old regrets begin to melt away. Drink deep the air, the morning, and the light, The world is born again, forever new. The sun is climbing high above the night, And all the sky is waiting just for you.

Dr. Fernando Martinez Alderete

Writer, poet, theater actor, radio producer. Born in Leon Guanajuato, Mexico on April 21,1977, President of Mil Mentes Por México in Guanajuato. Dr. HC, global leadership and literature. His poems are published in more than 200 anthologies in fifteen countries around the world and he is the author of ten books, of poetry, short stories and novels.