They say she had
lips as red
as roses,
to speak with life
to speak with love
to speak with a full, red heart,
eyes as bright
as stars,
to see the light
to shine the light
to connect earth and sky,
hair as dark
as ravens,
to fly above
to soar through night
to love the black river,
and skin as white
as snow,
to remind us of
the strength
of the rose.
My lungs crave
an uncommon air,
fruit of sun,
rain and dirt,
the sweet scent
of the flame
at the heart of
the rose.
One fell at her feet,
the sun lit
the stage
in gold,
my own heart
in the air
with her leaps,
toe pointed true
she spun through
the floor,
burning
until the rose opened
teaching me
the strength
in her delicate grace,
arms wide
the silk dress of
petals unfurled
to reveal
a heart of flame
the sun contained
in the delicate
body
born
of rain
and dirt
and fire.
After the flood
one rose
climbed through
a lake of mud
to open bravely
at the sudden touch
of the sun,
blushing its love
in the meanest
of places.
These words were inspired by the movie A Little Chaos, which I found deeply moving.
The rose
a mess of petals
shines beauty in all directions
Who would name
the rose a mess?
A pink and hopeful
scattering of petals
not quite the same
as the rest.
Here a chill dwarfed a leaf
there a bee misstepped.
We scrape past thorns
to find one bloom
not quite the same
as the rest.
Inky Cat's Poems 