Ode to a Rose

Blue flowers

Black flowers

Blooming in blood

Red flowers

White flowers

Darkness in bud

 

Purple roses in the garden of the soul

Black roses to be your heart's shroud

White buds open in the light of the mind

And petals fall like leaves from the book of your life

 

Pick the flowers and watch them die

Lifetimes pass in a single brief season

An eternal struggle for beauty and splendour

The frost will come and the thorns outlive the blooms

 

Red flowers

Dead flowers

Gather your tributes

Pink flowers

Steel flowers

Savour their fruits

 

Walk by the stream and pick the daisies

Lay them at the feet of your false desires

Walk from their grave and leave it with lilies

And so you forget why daffodils like to grow by water

 

Yellow roses in the mailbox for heaven

While gypsies sell you red roses for love

Married and buried by the scent of the bloom

Perhaps flowers even grow amidst flames down in hell

 

Black flowers

White flowers

Grey flowers on desks

Blue flowers

Purple flowers

Offering or hex?

 

A rose is an offering

A rose can be sex

A rose is a memory

A rose to forget

A rose marks the place

A rose for good faith

A rose is the brave

A rose is a life

Or life is a rose?

Reviews

[ice]

Juliet:
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet."
(Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2) )

This fine poem reminded me of the play..

"The frost will come and the thorns outlive the blooms"
my favorite line in your play of words

enjoyed
ice

[Robin]

perhaps so , it does inspire fine poetry ~

[.]

. very beautifully expressed ... the content and the rendition ... the structure is just so amazingly creative that it has an incredible impact on the reader ... super, super last nine lines especially ... and i know what a challenging topic this is to write about ... yet you were comprehensive and so very unique ... indeed, life is a rose ... it definitely needs to be nurtured like one ... and it does definitely wither ... and it does travel to many destinations ... symbolising so many realms of existence ... an incredibly potent write and extremely creatively rendered, zoe ... not only do you never disappoint ... you constantly raise the bar for yourself ... very inspiring you are ...

[Angelalala]

intriguing! i love the way each stanza holds a different rhythm. very strong & deep symbolism. it does seem roses are symbolic of so many events in life: birth, weddings, death... this is going in my favorites. an amazing piece.

[SpitfireGrrrl]

Love this! Roses not only have many meanings between two people, but have been used as symbols for so many different things throughout the ages. I think you've covered many of the endless possibilities for them. Thanks for sharing! As always, beautifully written!

[InkSlinger]

Wow, a delightful story to behold.. loved the first 6 stanzas.. and the mysteries they paint.. the imagery just wraps it's self around you, and draws you in.. it allows the mind to wander through the message.. It is simply beautiful.. I would be inclined to drop the last stanza completely.. the rest of the poem draws us down along the path you intend for us.. let the reader draw their own conclusions, as this has a very personal feel to it, and will mean different things to different readers.

[Art Sun]

Even with the variety of color that roses are available in they have their own story whether joy, sadness, or even the spirituality of it all Roses are as life and life is as a Rose...

nice work...

[Coyote Poetry]

A interesting use of flowers and the rose. Flowers can bring joy or sadness. It is sad the life of a flower is so short. At least with a rose. The rebirth will come again, A outstanding poem. Thank you.
Coyote