Forgotten Petals of a Wilted Rose

“Forgotten Petals of a Wilted Rose”

…eromyna seciov eseht ekat tonnac I

Past the graveyard, lights of distant echoes,
Of the way he moved, through tarns and meadows.
He would stay without lingering—
Fade to black without dwindling.
Some olden wisdom warned me not to trace
With lips of longing his well-masked face.

.elihw a ni uoy nees t'nevaH .regnarts ,olleh lleW
.thgilrats ym era uoY .thgilrats ym era uoY

I could not help but reach and ask
What lies beneath the shadow of his mask:
Forgotten petals of a wilted rose
Covered the face that no one knows.
And I wondered what price would I pay,
For such a sweet bouquet.

srewolf dliw eht koot I sa seye ym ni doG A
eeht pihsrow yam I taht senirhs fO
 ,sniatnuof fo dna slegna fo demaerd I
?nwonk layarteb ruoy saw ro ,terces eht I saW

What makes his voice so pure?
What thousand deaths must I endure
For but a glance into his eyes,
Past the beauty of his disguise?
He walks in moonlight without form
And commands the thunder of his own storm.
He looms over my lost dreams and my thousand woes
With forgotten petals of a wilted rose.

© 2022 Marten Hoyle