Dear Rose,

Beautiful rose,

I love you oh so dearly

Your intoxicating scent confuses me

Your scarlet petals enchant me

I am lost in your beauty

And the essence of your existence

Why must you be so cruel

And hurt me with your prickles?

Dear Rose, my darling rose,

I’ll miss you very much

Do return back to me

When the time comes

I’ll embrace you with all my heart

No matter the pain I have to bear

Nothing in this world can do us part

Save for our fears

Come to me my beautiful rose

And stay with me forever

I’ll never ever let you go

As long as we’re together.

like bleached sunlight-

resting in the silt

that gathers at the bottom

of a cracked vase-

blossoms drowning-

cancelling each other out-

the stem is rough

against my callused palms

as i pick the petals-

she loves me

she loves me not-

trying to figure out

if any of it

is real

anymore

the deep blue sky soars overhead

and golden sun rains down, limning

verdant field with treasure-edged blades of grass.

the snowy marble stone glows in the brightness;

words carved like scars across the light.

she clutches one starry-eyed forget-me-not to her heart,

leaving the rest to blanket him.

ever so slowly she turns

to hide again in her shadows

Your petals softly whisper

While your thorns scream in vain

For that is the language of the Flowers

And deception is its game

Like the sweet Oleander,

With its dainty petals looking friendly

For it wishes you to touch them

And prays your consequences will be deadly

Hear the Angel’s Trumpet,

As it plays lulling a tune

But be careful not to listen

For you’ll never awake beneath its moon

See the Hemlock,

With its complexion so fair

It beckons you closer with a secret

Telling you that it has some to spare

Hidden beneath its beauty

The culprit remains unnamed

For that is the language of the Flowers

And deception is its game

With petals wide, unfolding

A welcoming embrace

Wondering how they came to be

From such a muddy place

Beneath a seed has sprouted

It bursts to break its walls

Fighting through the murkiness

It struggles and it crawls

Representing peacefulness

It doesn't go astray

It's made whole in its suffering

And everything's okay