Roses
If I told you that a flower bloomed in a dark room, would you trust it? - Kendrick Lamar
(Poetic Justice)
Long live the Rose
That Grew from Concrete
Because the Rose that Blooms
In the Midst of Adversity
Is the Rarest and most Beautiful of All
Roses are often romanticised for their majestic beauty
But people often overlook the other parts of their story
That they are blessed with a heart unlike any other wildflower
Strong enough to rise again
After being trampled on
Tough enough to weather
The brunt of summer, and the worst of winter
And even being able to grow and flourish
In the most broken of places
Showing that good can come from desolated/barren lands
Where their thorns are their battle scars
That's why I appreciate that Roses have thorns
Because it's part and parcel of who they really are
From one difficulty to another, they learn to bounce back
This while keeping all their enticing petals in tact
Their beauty remains untainted despite the vicissitudes of life
Constantly finding a way to strive, finding a way to thrive
Blooming from wounds where they once bled
I guess that why they always said that "Roses are red"
Roses have thorns
Because it knows
That its overall beauty will
Reel us in
Roses have thorns
To teach us to be
Appreciative without being possessive
Roses have thorns
Since it's better to be defensive
Because humans can be pricks
Roses have thorns
As a means of protection
Because it is delicate and frail
Roses have thorns
To remind the obsessive man
That it is not written in braille
You can love her but leave her free
Roses have thorns
Because even perfection isn't flawless
Roses have thorns
But it doesn't make them worth less
Roses have thorns
Because love can be destructive
And some people just can't be trusted
Roses have thorns
To remind the intrusive hand
It can be cherish without possessed
Roses have thorns
To give a voice to the voiceless
Roses have thorns
Because if we say we love them
And we really do
We will love them through and through
Roses have thorns
Because it knows
That touch can kill
Roses have thorns
But we love them still
And as far as Roses go
You are the one of the sweetest one I know
Despite the many thorns of life that you've been exposed to
You've endured it all and gracefully bloomed
So much so that you are still radiant to the eye
I still think your Rose with its thorns and all
Is worth it
Is perfect
If ever there was one
And just in case you thought that, to say all this it's nice of me
Because I only see through Rose-tinted lens
It's because you don't see what I see
To see your growth to exude such self confidence
It's alluring as it is inspiring
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I am saying all this to say,
That I'm sorry I didn't get you Roses for Valentine's Day
But I wrote you these poems instead,
Because the appeal of physical Roses only lasts till the last petal is shed,
At that point the Rose is long dead,
But these words that I had have written down
On paper might as well be casted in stone
Because everything that you would have read
Is transplanted from the deep soil beds of love in my heart
To the evergreen garden in your head
Where it won't wither away but will flourish from day to day
(c) A.Williams, 2018.
February 14, 2018.