Rose, Purple

This is my rule of thumb: when going photographing,
      estimate the number of rolls you’ll use, then pack two more.
That Saturday morning I estimated I’d use up to four rolls of film
      in Fort Wayne’s Lakeside Rose Gardens, so I packed six.
I arrived just as the sun was breaking.
The air was absolutely still.
High humidity left each rose bejeweled with tiny pearls of water.
I held my breath and photographed.
Ordinarily the air begins to stir not long after sunrise,
      making it difficult to photograph fragile parts of flowers as they begin to sway.
But not this morning; stillness reigned.
The dew not only remained but intensified.
I reached in my pocket for another roll of film, suddenly realizing it was my last.
I hated to disturb my wife at home, twenty-five minutes away by car,
      but, oh, those roses with their necklaces of dew!
I called Bernie on my cell phone and
      she happily brought me another supply of film:
            two estimated rolls, plus two extras.
I used them all.
During my last roll, I met this fuchsia lovely.
We bonded.