"Can you hear that?" I ask, stopping in the middle of the street.

"Hear what?"

"Screaming, someone's screaming."

I spin around the spot looking for the person I can hear, but everyone looks fine. And no one else seems to be looking.

"Jemma."

I'm startled out of my trance and look into Rippers concerned face.

"No one's screaming Jemma," he tells me.

But there is, I can hear them, and it's getting louder as though the person is getting closer.

Closing my eyes I try reaching out with my other senses.

Instantly I hit something.

A big black roiling mass of hatred and anger. I try pulling myself away scared of getting trapped when I stop.

My eyes fling open and I look around me like a woman possessed.

The screaming starts to get louder, a pressure building on the inside of my head.

"What's happening Jemma? "

I'm only dimly aware that anyone else is speaking to me, all concentration focused on trying to find the screaming.

I open all my senses with my eyes open and start going dizzy as I see everyone's souls kind of floating in front of them. The souls moving a fraction of a second before the body.

Scanning around everyone, I immediately become drenched in sweat and fear as I see the darkness walking towards me. No soul floating in front of the man. Just pure darkness.

He comes to a stop in front of me and my heart freezes. His eyes are dead.

The screaming is louder.

I want to turn away but a movement in the eyes pulls me in. The reflection of a another person staring back at me, screaming for help.

My eyes close tight, trying to block out the terrified face that's looking back at me.

Eventually I feel him walk away and Rippers familiar hands grip into my shoulders.

A near scream tears from my throat and I grip Rippers hands.

"He's got a soul trapped in there, a soul that doesn't belong to him. "

“I just feel so guilty,” I manage to choke out through the tears.

“But why?”

I wipe my eyes and try and concentrate on the road, my words getting stuck in my throat as I try to form a reply.

“Because she’s desperate for money and I lied and said I didn’t have any.” Tears choke me up again and a sob escapes me instead of the words. “Because I’m going to get a takeaway and she’s so desperate for anything but I won’t give her it.”

There’s incredulous silence on the other end of the phone and I wipe my eyes again, my vision blurry, snot falling from my nose and struggling to breathe properly.

“You have got nothing to feel guilty about,” comes the angry voice from the other end of the phone. “You work your backside off for what you’ve got, you work two fucking jobs so that you can treat yourself. Why should you feel guilty?”

“Because I lied mum, I lied to her and I feel awful and really guilty and horrible.” My eyes start scanning somewhere to pull over but there are traffic cones the whole way down the hard shoulder and there’s nowhere for me to stop.

“She’s an addict hun, you gave her ten pounds yesterday, her aunt gave her twenty pounds.”

“I know mum, I know but it doesn’t stop the guilt.”

I carry on driving as she whispers platitudes to me down the phone, telling me how it’s not my fault, that I’m not to blame, that I can’t do anything.

“She’s my daughter,” she’s telling me now “and I feel guilty every single time she asks me for money and we don’t do it, but we can’t, none us, afford to feed her addiction.”

I know this, of course, I know this. It’s normally me saying this to my mum, not the other way round. It’s normally me having to tell her we can’t feed the addiction, that we need to be strong, that we need to say no, that we need to be harsh. Even though I know all this it’s still too hard for me to listen to.

“It’s just after seeing her yesterday, she was in such a good mood and I know she was on something of course she was it was obvious but the difference of that to today…” I manage to get all of that out without a break before the sobs take over again. “Seeing her today, on an obvious come down is just devastating.”

Still more tears come, my eyes are wiping them away at nearly the same speed of the wipers of my car, washing away the rain. For a moment I let the thought flow through my mind of what it would be like to just take both hands off the wheel and drive into the rain, but it’s gone almost as quickly as it came.

“That’s what you’ve got to remember Anna, she was on something yesterday, of course it’s going to make it worse seeing her like that today, it’s been months since you’ve seen it. But if you give ten pounds today, it’ll be another tomorrow, and the day after and the day after and when will it stop?” My mum waits for me to reply, waits for my cries to subside slightly so I can answer.

“She’s desperate and I said no mum and yet I’m going to get a takeaway and just booked a hotel for a weekend away and I feel guilty as fuck.” That’s it, the sobs have over taken me completely, my breath is coming out in choking gasps as I finally let all the stress, guilt and pain out.

“And do you wanna know one of the worst parts? All I want to do is pick up the phone and call Sarah, but she probably won’t even answer and she’s a fucking cunt.”

The silence on the other end of the phone is heavy but for once she doesn’t say anything to me for using that word.

“What about phoning someone else? You could phone Erin?”

I smile slightly but I still can’t stop crying.

“I called her yesterday but she was going to an audition and was in such a good mood that I didn’t want to bring her down so I pretended everything was fine.”

“How about Jack from a few doors down?”

I sigh in exasperation, I know she’s trying to help but it isn’t working, “It’s just not the same is it though. Sarah knows everything, she always has done and now she won’t even talk to me I hate her for it and that hurts so fucking much cause all I want is my best friend back to talk to.”

Finally, in the distance, I spot a layby and drive until I pull into it. The only sounds on the phone is my mums breathing and my crying. There’s nothing else to say to each other at that moment but neither of us wants to be the one to hang up.

“I’m gonna go mum,” I eventually say to her.

“I wish I could come and just hug you, I love you.” I can hear the smile in her voice but I know her eyes will be wet with tears, that she’ll be feeling guilty now because of me ringing her and being so upset, and it makes me feel even worse. I already regret phoning her, the guilt burning through my stomach at the stress I’ll have just put her under.

“I love you more,” I tell her and it makes her laugh, but the laugh is heavy.

“You have no idea how much I love you,” is the reply I get and I know she’s right. We hang up the phone and I bury my head in my arms, finally letting the heartbreak out even more than I had on the phone, the tears fall unbrushed, I make no move to wipe the snot or to do anything other than sitting there in pain.

And while the tears fall I let all the other guilty thoughts flow through my mind. I wish she was in jail again. The fact every time my mobile rings I dread the thought it might be her on the other end, to the point I’ve missed job interviews because I haven’t answered the unknown number. The fact I’ve lied to her about so much to try and protect myself. That in some ways losing my best friend is what sometimes tears me upside the most.

The darkest thought starts to float up, the one that I always try to keep suppressed. I start to shiver and turn the heating up. Music going up with it and blasting through the speakers. The tears finally come to a stop and I feel exhausted. Every bit of energy has deserted me but I know I need to move. The sky is getting darker, the rain falling harder and the roads getting busier.

I pull myself up from the steering wheel and indicate back on the road. I try to feel amazed that someone lets me out so quickly, but I don’t feel anything. I’m numb inside.

Glancing in the rearview mirror I don’t recognise my reflection. My face is streaked with black, my eyes are bloodshot and cold. Empty.

I drive home with my empty eyes and heavy heart with the thought shoved down deep but it slowly worms it way back to the front of mind. I pull into my drive and turn of the engine.

I sometimes wish she wasn't here.

My scalp starts to tingle, sweat drips down my spine. A burning sensation on my neck, urges me to turn around. I know if I do he would be watching me from the other side of the room, again. I fight the urge to turn until the burn starts to spread to across my whole body, setting me on fire from the inside out.

A gasp tears from my throat as I turn. His eyes glow across the dance floor, everything else around me fading away until I’m drowning in the sapphire glow.

“Jo.” Someone grabs my shoulder as they shout my name, it’s enough to drag me out of the trance I’d been in. Turning around I see my best friend Alyssa standing just behind me with drinks in her hand.

“You sure you want another drink?” She asks me, eyebrow raised slightly. “You seem a bit out of it.”

Laughing I grab the drink from her outstretched hand and take a long refreshing gulp. I twist my legs trying to get comfortable, my knickers are soaked just from his look. I debate going to take them off but Alyssa grabs my hand and we make our way back onto the dance floor. Finding a space we squeeze in, the music making it impossible to talk so we don’t even try. We sway our bodies, not caring whose watching or if we’re any good. We shout the lyrics to the songs we know along with everyone else in the club.

A guy I recognise slightly, walks over and gets in between the two of us. He swings an arm around both of us, the stench of stale booze and sweat makes me want to gag. I have a feeling I know him from class but we’ve never spoken. I look at Alyssa and we burst out laughing, duck under his arm and move off in a different direction.

All the while the burning is still on the back of my neck. An itching compulsion to turn around and get lost in his gaze again. He’s been here every night we have. I noticed him the first time we came here, I think everyone in the place did to be honest. He would be very hard to miss. Scraggly black hair, deep blue eyes, sculpted face, tops that cling to an obviously fit body and jeans that look like they’ve been poured on. There’s just something about him. His whole body thrums with energy, there’s a magnetic pull that draws people over. But he doesn’t speak to them.

Girls have been throwing themselves at him all week but he just ignores them. A few guys have tried and they get the same treatment. He leans against the wall, drink in hand and stares over the room. If he’d been anyone else I would have thought fuck them to myself and not given them the time of day, I wouldn’t even be remotely interested. He’s different though. I have to fight to keep my eyes off of him, to stop myself from going over. Each night that fight is getting harder.

Alyssa spins me around and suddenly I’m looking in his direction again, but he’s not there. An aching disappointment settles in my chest. I turn to Alyssa to tell her I’m going to head home when the stench of sweat and stale beer overwhelms me again.

An arm snakes around my waist and another grabs my arm. I try not to vomit as a face leans down to mine form behind and the smell permeates the air.

“Don’t ever turn away from me again bitch.” He must be shouting for me to be able to hear him over all this music. The arm around my waist lets go and he spins me to face him. I try to pull away but he grips harder, my heart starts to hammer, fear of what’s about to happen, but I have to acknowledge the small part of it that’s hammering from the excitement. I pull away again and he tightens his hands enough that I gasp, and not just from the pain.

Just as I’m about to say something my whole body comes out in goosebumps. It’s as though someone has dropped an ice cube down my back and then used their breath to melt it. An electric energy pulsates around me. Looking at the man in front of me I can see his eyes widen and his hands slowly let go of me.

A deep voice behind me finally speaks, sending shivers right down to my bones.

“She’s mine.”

Two simple words. Heard crystal clear despite the music. The guy from class nods and runs away and then the blue eyes are suddenly in front of me rather than behind me. His hands move over the already bruising marks on my arms, the pain tugging on lower parts. His eyes dilate at the unintentional noise I make.

He leans down to my ear, “you like that.”

It’s said as a statement, not a question, but I nod anyway.

His body shudders against mine. “I can smell your arousal.

I don’t even think about the strange words he says. He runs his lips down my neck and my knees begin to tremble, my knickers flooding even more than I thought possible. Looking into my eyes he trails a finger down my cheek, sensations rip through me as though that finger was trailing somewhere else. Staring in his eyes I begin to drown, everything around me begins to fade and all that’s left is a need to have him inside of me. Every part of my body is screaming at me to take him now.

Blinking, I’m somehow back in the room, aware that people are staring at us. Looking around for Alyssa, the edges of her lips turning up in knowing smile. She hugs me; “have fun” she whispers in my ear and drifts off in the sea of people.

Turning back to the man in front of me the rest of the world fades out again, leaving the illusion of just the two of us on the dance floor. His hand snakes around my hips, fingers splaying out, holding as much of me as he can. Heat pours from his hands, pleasure radiating across my skin where he’s touching.

One hand drops lower, edging across my thigh, nails dragging hard enough to leave marks as his fingers go higher. My breath catches as those long nails reach the edge of my knickers underneath my dress.

“Who are you?” I don’t even recognise my voice it’s that breathy.

His fingers move my knickers aside and he plunges them inside of me as I hear his name whispered through my mind, “Luca.”

He starts moving his fingers faster and harder, nails from the other hand digging in hard enough to draw blood. Sounds I’ve never heard before come from my throat as I forget the fact we’re in a club surrounded by hundreds of people and I surrender to the pleasure he’s bringing me.

“Oh god, I’m gonna cum,” I just manage to get the words out before a soundless scream tears from my throat and I sag against his hand as cum pours from me.

Slowly he withdraws his fingers, his nails dragging into the walls of me as he does. Each movement sends a new spasm through my body. Finally, I can stand on my own two feet.

As my senses come back to me, I look around mortified that I would let something so intimate happen in such a public place.

That’s when real fear starts to seep in, instead of being in the club, we’re in a softly lit room that I don’t recognise.

“Where are we?”

Instead of answering he forces my chin up so I’m staring into his eyes and again captures me in the beauty of them, it’s like the whole universe is floating through them.

“Where we are is of no importance. All that matters is you and me.”

His voice makes me want to melt, to agree to anything and everything he says but part of my mind is niggling at me that this isn’t right, that I shouldn’t be here. That is until he pulls the top of my dress and bra down and bites my nipple.

A scream bubbles up inside of me but it’s not from pain, it’s from pure pleasure. He sucks on one breast, teeth grazing and pulling on my nipple, a hand playing and pulling on the other. Each pull, bite and lick sending heat straight down the core of me, leaving me begging for the mouth and hands to be elsewhere.

He looks up and his eyes have darkened and dilated, I push him back slightly but only so I can run a hand across the front of his trousers. He hardens more than I knew was possible under such a light touch. I grip him hard and squeeze even tighter. His face goes slack with pleasure and a hiss escapes his lips. I look closer and then shake my head, for a moment I thought I saw fangs.

A button snaps open and my eyes are drawn to Luca as he begins to slowly slide his trousers down his legs, leaving only silk boxers behind. There’s already a tell-tale sign of his enjoyment marking the boxers.

Impatiently I stalk over to him, rip the boxers down and have him in my mouth quicker than he can blink. His hands tangle in my hair, shoving me harder and faster onto him. A thought forms in my mind but its risqué. Whilst coming off his cock, I run my teeth along the length of him. In return, he rips me from him and throws me against a wall. My heart is thundering from pure fear this time, knowing I’ve made a mistake; I’m about to try and run when he’s on me. His body pushes against mine and crushes me to the wall. He grabs my hands and pins them above my head, his mouth falls on mine and he kisses me like he’s trying to eat me alive. My hands find the bottom of his top and pull it up, he let’s go of me long enough to pull it over his head and then falls back on me.

My nails rake down his back and land on his bum, pulling him close. He grinds himself into me and makes impatient noises against my lips. My tongue dances over his teeth and the taste of copper fills my mouth. This seems to excite him more, instead of moving away from me, he grips my dress and bra in his hands and tears them away from me. Leaving me standing in only a pair of lacy knickers that are so wet they’re clinging to my body.

He runs a hand down my body to the knickers and gently strokes my clit through them before tearing those off me too. Before I have time to realise what’s happening my breath is taken away as he sheaths himself inside of me.

There is nothing gentle about it. I climb his body and wrap my legs around his waist, arms around his neck with my hands fisted in his hair. I can hardly breathe. Electricity is in the air around us as power builds. His movements become frantic and I want more. I slap him across his face to get his attention. His eyes light up once more and his movements slow.

After a few attempts, I manage to speak, “put me down.”

There’s a question in his eyes, but he does as I ask. Trying to catch his own breath and calm himself down, he steps away from me.

I grab him by his cock and pull him back, “I didn’t say stop.”

I lie on the floor, legs bent up and spread apart, he licks his lips and this time I know I see a flash of fangs. He dives on top of me but his face goes straight between my legs, tongue darting over and inside of me, bringing my chest writhing off the floor. His fingers join his mouth and I cum again, screaming his name.

Before the spasms stop he’s back inside of me. I wrap a leg around him and hear a surprised sound fall from his lips as I flip him over and straddle him. I lean down and take a nipple into my mouth, biting hard as I ride him fast and deep. Luca pushes my head down harder on his chest, I don’t take any more encouragement and bite harder, he pushes my head again and so I bite until I taste copper again and know this time it’s his blood. It fills me with a sense of power and tips me over the edge and I cum again, squeezing him tight through my orgasm but still, he holds on.

When I come back he flips me over and moves his face down until he’s nuzzling my neck, he breathes in deep and then his tongue darts out as he licks me across the trapped butterfly of my pulse in my throat. He bites down gently and my hips buck against him.

He pulls out of me and my body starts mourning his loss but his hands are soon on mine as he pulls me up. He puts my back against his chest and his hands play over my body leaving me quivering.

“Please, please, please.” I realise it’s me begging him. I can’t take much more of this. Every place Luca touches me feels like he’s sending electric currents through my body. Every nerve is standing on end and it’s just beginning to tip over the edge from pleasure. As though he can sense this he leans back to my neck and places his mouth over the pulse again, biting down harder and harder giving me the chance to stop him.

I push against his cock, “please” I beg him again.

He shoves himself hard and deep inside of me and plunges fangs into my neck drawing blood from me as he fucks me harder than I thought possible, bringing me over the edge. My world explodes in a shower of pleasure and pain, I’m no longer sure where one ends and the other begins. As the orgasm starts to fade he draws his fangs from my neck and licks a line of blood that I can feel trickling down, cool against my feverish body.

I start to fall and Luca’s arms gently lower me to the floor, pulling me against his body. My eyes start to drift close, I fight to open them as I realise what’s just happened but I can’t do it.

I give in and let my body pull me into a deep, satisfied sleep, the fact I’d just been bitten by a vampire, the last thought on my mind.

© Rowanne S Carberry 08/07/17

She swings her hair across her shoulder,

Turns to stare with a look that will smoulder,

A gentle smile plays at her lips,

She walks with a sway and swagger to her hips.

Confidence permeates her air,

A bark of laughter will catch you unaware,

Caring and compassionate she’ll draw you in,

With attitude and strength, she’ll get under your skin.

Determined to do what’s right,

She holds her head high and steps into the light,

To be told that she’s wrong with a bad attitude,

“You need to smile, be fake and change your mood.”

“Be fluffy, be false, be nice, be anything but you,”

“We all pretend and so you should too,”

The smiles slowly slips,

The replies getting stuck on her lips,

She tries again her confidence back,

A laugh and a joke but they don’t backtrack,

The light starts to die and she becomes subdued,

Wondering how the hell this is how she is viewed.

Out of them room with a fake smile on her face,

Trying to work out how to get out of this place,

“She’ll be a bad influence with an attitude like that,”

“I know it’s just confidence but try and rain it back,”

“Don’t forget to be fluffy is my one bit of advice,”

“Well that, and just pretend to be nice.”

She sits and she watches and she takes the abuse,

Not knowing if she even has a use,

Inside there’s a spark that slowly starts to burn,

As anger takes over and self-righteousness takes a turn.

Light forms in the back of her eyes,

She throws a fake smile at the ones who criticise,

A mantra forms inside her head,

Knowing that really she has been misread.

Niggling doubt tries to make itself known,

Leaving her feeling for a moment alone,

Shaking her head she digs down deep,

Knowing inside she’ll never be a sheep.

She walks out the door with a confident stride,

Knowing no matter what that at least she tried,

A thought bubbles up and she throws out a laugh,

As she remembers that fluffy is a three-headed bad ass.

© Rowanne S Carberry 04/07/17

A drop of blood falls to the ground,

The silence engulfs as the ties come unbound,

Walking away without even a glance,

Wondering how the hell you ended up in this dance.

A crunch of glass hurts your ears,

As the sound breaks through to your fears,

Another drop of blood falls to floor,

Tears mingle, but both you ignore.

Stumbling along your vision is blurred,

Try to scream but it comes out slurred,

A limp arm comes into view,

You trip and you fall and you lose a shoe.

Sirens in the distance start to fill the air,

You’re encompassed by nothing but despair,

Forcing yourself to move you avert your eyes,

Trailing blood to the car you repeat the lies.

Spider web patterns carry on your nightmare,

As somewhere outside you hear their last gasp of air,

Your wordless scream now comes out raw,

As your push the pedal right down to the floor.

The wrong decision to look behind,

Wishing instead you could forever be blind,

Crumpled and broken alone in the road,

Thoughts of what could have been if only you’d slowed.

The earth stained by another senseless act,

Your mind slowly becoming more cracked,

As the images stay locked forever in your brain,

Of blood being washed away in the rain.

Cries of family as they fall down and weep,

Broken legs and bare feet what they see when they try to sleep.

All that’s left on the road when people stop and stare,

One shoe and a pair.

© Rowanne S Carberry 03/07/17

A drop of blood falls to the ground,

The silence engulfs as the ties come unbound,

Walking away without even a glance,

Wondering how the hell you ended up in this dance.

A crunch of glass hurts your ears,

As the sound breaks through to your fears,

Another drop of blood falls to floor,

Tears mingle, but both you ignore.

Stumbling along your vision is blurred,

Try to scream but it comes out slurred,

A limp arm comes into view,

You trip and you fall and you lose a shoe.

Sirens in the distance start to fill the air,

You’re encompassed by nothing but despair,

Forcing yourself to move you avert your eyes,

Trailing blood to the car you repeat the lies.

Spider web patterns carry on your nightmare,

As somewhere outside you hear their last gasp of air,

Your wordless scream now comes out raw,

As your push the pedal right down to the floor.

The wrong decision to look behind,

Wishing instead you could forever be blind,

Crumpled and broken alone in the road,

Thoughts of what could have been if only you’d slowed.

The earth stained by another senseless act,

Your mind slowly becoming more cracked,

As the images stay locked forever in your brain,

Of blood being washed away in the rain.

Cries of family as they fall down and weep,

Broken legs and bare feet what they see when they try to sleep.

All that’s left on the road when people stop and stare,

One shoe and a pair.

© Rowanne S Carberry 03/07/17

A house stands upon a shady hill,

An empty box left on the windowsill,

Sighs whisper through the lonely halls,

As blood drips down the white washed walls.

Screams in the night beg you to unveil,

The truth of the horror in this tale,

Bloody footprints lead to the truth,

Of a terrible life gone wrong in its youth.

In just the right light,

Something will appear in the corner of your sight,

Just a glimpse of blonde hair,

But enough to make you turn and stare.

There’s a flash of black, a beckoning sound,

Unwittingly following a hell hound,

A door made of wood pushed aside,

As you sign the death warrant on your own suicide.

Tremors of the past flash before your eyes,

You try to untangle the web of lies,

Watch in horror as her throat is ripped,

Torn apart as her body is stripped.

A young woman lying on the floor in just skin,

You know this isn’t a tale you’ll win,

You turn as their mouths fall to her chest,

Feelings so overwhelming you try to keep them suppressed.

Another woman enters and blood sprays,

The bodies tortured and abused for days,

Feasted upon by the beasts,

Who are waiting for the next bite of their feast.

Blue eyes flash as another is pushed to the floor,

Your screams echo as you run for the door,

Crying and screaming as you try to leave,

But inside you’re starting to grieve.

Another flash as claws pull out her hair,

An overwhelming feeling of despair,

A rip to your arm and the blood starts to well,

Exists all gone, you’re trapped in a hell.

Mouths lowering down to the bodies of the others,

Not to kiss and not to smother,

A wisp of light drawn out from their soul,

Leaving the bodies with a gaping hole.

Stare down at your chest and see smoke rise,

A hand to your mouth to stop the cries,

Unbidden they rise to a scream,

As you realise this is definitely not a dream.

Fingers close against your wrist,

They pull you in and force you to be kissed,

Your lips blister and skin burns,

As the shadows take it in turns.

Running away you leave bloody footprints on the ground,

Your screams now the only sound,

Into a room with only a box to see,

Until the door closes and in enters something beastly.

The mouth lowers again to yours,

Causing you to fall down on all fours,

A pain you’ve never felt as your soul is ripped away,

Added to the box you’re here to stay.

Your life drains as your throat drips,

You were drawn into a never ending script,

Now you’ll bring in more as they catch a glimpse of blonde hair,

And they turn to the window and stare,

And follow your journey through the haunted house,

Joining in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

A house stands on a shady hill,

A box full of souls on the windowsill,

Screams bounce around the murderous halls,

As a new body adds their mark to the blood stained walls.

© Rowanne S Carberry 16/04/17

Trapped inside and unwavering mind

It’s laughing and joking and being unkind

It’s screaming, poking, whispering lies

Closing me off from others and ignoring my cries

Squeezing tighter and not letting go

Take a seat and watch the show

The pressure is building, about to explode

“You’ve fallen for it again” my mind laughs and goads

Trying to breath but my chest is constricting

Needing to move but body is resisting

Darkness swirling and closing in

Multiple layers flashing I see a skull with a grin

Craving someone with a reassuring touch

Then running and hiding as it becomes too much

Clawing at my insides and ripping them to shreds

As I look to unwind the mess of interlocking threads

Fighting with something that won’t let go

Another experience I’ll have to forego

Tears burn like acid as I try not cry

Adding to the pain and the scars as I wait to die

Locked in by a mind with an ever changing guise

Trying to hide from its trickery but become paralysed

As my heart beats faster trying to get free

A small part of my mind tries to escape being me

© Rowanne S Carberry

Listen closely and you’ll find that you know me,

As recollections float by of blossoms opening in the spring,

I’m the most beautiful flower I’m sure you’ll agree,

Even butterflies will land on me to rest their wings.

Hold my petals between your fingers; they’re soft as silk,

But if you stray too far I’m also sharp as a pin,

In the winter I’ll start to wilt,

My petals will turn paper thin.

With a scent of beauty, I’m not just to see,

You’ll find me in perfumes and soaps,

You might even taste me in your tea,

I’m the one that will bring you loves dreams and hopes.

I capture the feeling of love in just one stem,

Memories are held in my bloom,

One of me can be more precious than any gem,

I’ll brighten even the darkest gloom.

I’m the colour of love and the sunsets at night,

The fields of grass in the dark,

My beauty is something more than can be seen with just sight,

Only my true magnificence can be seen with your heart.

© Rowanne S Carberry 2016