Furled

One orchid blossom opens;
The rest stay tightly furled.
Yet isn’t that the way that life
Unfolds within the world?

The possibles may tease us
So we watch and wait and hope
As we try to gain some purchase
Up our lifespan’s slip’ry slope.

The orchid by the window,
Water, air and sunshine-fed,
Still refuses to release its buds
To let the petals spread.

Some seeming opportunities,
Though close enough to snatch,
May exist to merely disappoint,
Like eggs that never hatch.