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 only spoken eight letters

Called 

I Love You 

To create such life-changing endeavors

To make you feel better 

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 at

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 most 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 its exquisite Red Rose

(C)

Copyright

John Duffy 

Image shared from Pinterest under fair usage policy.