Roses
They came closed, expectant with colorful promise
Twelve apologies, fresh and fragrant, on a spring morning
They opened slowly, delighted at sun's attentive rays
Twelve wishes, delicate and hopeful, blushing deeper red
They posed patiently, noticing novelty start to wane
Twelve wallflowers, deflated and dejected, lowering their heads
They withered steadily, starved of nutrients and faithful care
Twelve warnings, wrinkled and faded, beneath a graying sky
They fell apart, succumbing to foul, blackened blotches
Twelve reminders, bitter and broken, lying in the dust
Name
They look at me.
All mushed up faces into one.
What is your name? yells a man.
Your ugly says another
But all I see is a young girl.
Hiding under a weeping willow.
Her Mothers grave to the left,
Her Fathers to the right,
Her little brothers under her.
She sits there and cries.
Food is thrown.
She is called unspeakable names.
I walk up.
And she disappears,
I was to late.
She was to young.
I was to young.
Remember
Do you remember when we used to sleep on the trampoline?
When we'd fall over laughing, bruising ourselves on the gravel of our driveways
Sideways, crashing down
I can hardly remember those days anymore
I only remember the soreness of my limbs and tree bark against my skin while I climbed
The path we carved in the woods to a place we considered sacred and holy
The pain we explained to each other in a tiny room without light
The flowers we exchanged in hopeful dreams of retaliation
The tears in your eyes when you said you were leaving
The breath we shared for three seconds
The time it took to get up
The space between us
The sadness
The pain.
I don't know about you
But I can hardly remember those days anymore