Flowers

Twelve white roses on the small cenotaph
For the man who'd seen to the terrible crash
Which had taken the life of her monstrous huband
A few years back.

Twelve white roses for Jim, who preferred men, secretly
But who loved her unconditionally
Worked for him, publishing books at Gray and Grey
In that mansion up the hill most every day.

Her jealous husband never understood
But Jim saw the bruises, knew she had troubles
Contacted friends from his turbulent past back in the 'hood
They knew how to make inconveniences disappear

Lung cancer had recently taken Jim away
The irony, for he'd never touched a cigarette in his life
So on occasion she was here to remember the good times
To tell him how she would have loved to have been his wife.

Hatred is a bitter rose
And blooms where bitterness will please
The warmest hearts, its charm has froze
And none escape its tortured freeze

A boy betrayed by mothers love
A girl ensnared by father's pains
A lover's lust that kills a dove
A friend no traitor yet regains

A wise man wrote that bitterness
Can rot the bone like mold
And no-one can betray the thought
Nor wise, nor young, nor old

For men have held that bitter rose
Whose thorns within them lay
Whose wounds they say they cannot feel
From scars of yesterday

And though the thorns that pierce so deep
Within the hand don't bleed
Far gone the tears of red we weap
When men let flowers lead

And some men cry when they let go
And in their writhing pain
They pray to God that they may know
That Love is not in vain

They hurt a time and half a time
And ages roll on by
And yet they're free to find their rhyme
And bask in Love devine

Their love was new and brighter than the stars
They waited five years after loving from afar
Bigotry’s nasty head stood in the way
No closeness allowed until that fateful day
 
The world spun on a new axis tipped in their favor
They were always together, their time they savored
Dancing in the clubs to the heat of their hearts
It was a fairytale romance from the start
 
He sent her flowers the first day at the law firm
When she read the card aloud she watched her colleges squirm
“Baby I love you, can’t wait to caress your vanilla skin
All this chocolate lovin’s gonna get you to commit a thousand sins”
 
Excitedly she told her colleagues she would be moving in with Him
She couldn’t wait for their new life to begin
She had no care for society’s scowl
All she wanted to do was set up house
 
That night when she arrived home
Her parents screamed and threatened to disown
They had no idea of her secret love
She defiantly told them he was The One
 
On the weekend when she was supposed to move
She wasn’t worried about what her parents would do
Then suddenly he said it wouldn’t work out
He solemnly said he had to put her out
 
Her world cracked, she went back home
No longer living in love’s zone
Her flame was extinguished, she gave up hope
Then flowers arrived, what a cruel joke
 
“Congratulations on your new job and your success
We always knew your talent would impress”
Her shocked heart immediately shut down
From that day forward, no more flowers, they made her tears drown
 
Over the years she told all her men
No more flowers, never again
They all asked the same thing, “what shall we buy for you then?”
Her only reply, “all I want is for you to be Him”
 
Thirty years passed and a pandemic hit
She had no idea how long the world would exist
She reached out to Him with one phone call
Hello it’s me, do you recall
 
Who I am from your past
I don’t know how long this virus will last
But I need you to know I still think of you
I hope you’re well and think of me too
 
Within the night he was at her side
Nothing in the way, no pride to hide
He called her his sweetheart and told her to love herself
He told her he still all her old letters on his shelf
 
When she couldn’t respond, so overwhelmed with joy
Not giving one thought to her parent’s devious ploy
To tear them apart all those years ago
And stifle the love society couldn’t watch grow
 
He slowly reached behind his back
His large, strong hands seeking out a paper bag
Tentatively he brought out a single rose
Then leaned in and lightly kissed her nose
 
He caught each tear as it slid down her cheek
He wiped away her heartache, the world no longer looked so bleak
He held her in his large, warm embrace
Then lightly held her face
 
I’ve never forgotten you, I never will
For a very long time my hearts been filled
With longing for one glimpse of your beautiful face
And the warmth of your elegant embrace
The love you always so freely gave
With no thought or care for other’s hate
You always gave me the very best of you
For the rest of my life I’ll live to prove
That I’ll never again leave your side
I’ll do my best to always abide
By my everlasting love for you
If it’s the very last thing I do
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
          

endless paths
in the garden
crumbs alms
camellias
cut buttons
lost flowers
spike capsules
anemones

birds fall from the sky
like sheets of paper
with little errands
by postal air
crickets cicadas
tulips
rain wet paths
crushed petals
jasmine pistil stalks
dark garden paths

love ghosts
between leaves
pain ghosts
in the dew
rosehips oak acorns
paths without beginning
no end

clouds that pass like this
bluebells tendrils
strawberries
loves blackberries
bitter days
sparrow bees traps
lost paths on the ground!


PAR