My Neighbor's Roses - A Poem and A Lesson

My Neighbor's Roses

The roses red upon my neighbor’s vine
Are owned by him, but they are also mine.
His was the cost, and his the labor, too,
But mine as well as his the joy, their loveliness to view.

They bloom for me and are for me as fair
As for the man who gives them all his care.
Thus I am rich, because a good man grew
A rose-clad vine for all his neighbor’s view.

I know from this that others plant for me,
And what they own, my joy may also be.
So why be selfish, when so much that’s fine
Is grown for you, upon your neighbor’s vine?

by Abraham L. Gruber

When my family lived in Arizona we had a fenced yard enclosed by a chain link fence. In quite a bit of the fence there were wooden slats woven through the openings to give more privacy inside the yard. I loved growing flowers and shrubs at that time and I planted a lot of things in our yard. Among many other things, I planted hollyhocks and climbing roses along the fence.

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Painting: "The Crimson Rambler" by Philip Hale