The Red Rose

 

(A lone voice whispers)  

What in more sensuous exquisite pleasure

Can ever be summoned with such a small act

An incantation spell  

Of eight spoken letters

Called

I Love You

To create such life-changing endeavours  

What's beyond all earthy countermeasures or oppressors

What stands valiantly  

Perpetually bare and naked

Before all lost souls

Whose essences pleads and  

Cries for its devotion

Its

Affection  

Appreciation  

Fondness  

Friendship  

Infatuation  

Lust  

Passion  

Respect  

Tenderness

And its other pheromone-linked spiritual yearnings

Have you too been before its alabaster ancient altar

Said all you wanted your version of love to be

When you felt some unfamiliar virginal stirrings

Then prayed to disappear within its congregation's sway

To hold onto its secret handshake

Through its gift of a single free spiritual Red Rose

That it always gives away

Or did you oppose

And return all its regal advice

And dismiss all those soul-changing stirrings

And cut up its freely offered Red Rose

Its invitation and gateway

Its secret handshake

With your sharp judgemental knife

To put out any fires which may have started burning  

Did new lies or old emotions

Lingering like limpets  

From old relationships afar

Cause you to then  

Fall

Like a wounded soldier  

  

In one of the world's many civil wars

Did a new chance   

A Greek Goddess's

Exotic taste of sweet  

Redemption

Bring no  

Much needed salvation

Did that new prize within reach

Cause  

Old tears of guilt or hidden suppressed pain

To rise like a typhoon  

Without resistance  

And fall like rain  

Or did you embrace that beautiful new gift

That unexpected surprise at sunrise

A priceless Red Rose and caught all those old tears

In motion  

And bade them froze

Before they became an ocean

Does the sentence

Love appears when it's needed

To supersede all emotions

Even if it's once been cheated on

And will try to stay forever  

If welcomed and greeted

Create something in you

A stirring that you will never oppose

As you accept the chance of new love and eventually

Embrace

Its secret handshake and free gift

Of a Red Rose

(C)  

Copyright  

John Duffy

Image shared from Pinterest under fair usage policy.