James Moore Poet Narrative

Notes About The Poem

The Flower With The Thorns

The ways of the world are a mysterious thing
So perfectly displayed and manifest
In the dance of man and woman.
It can take a lifetime to learn the moves
A lifetime of missteps and stumbles
Because the signals are so easily crossed
And lost in the dance of two
That if nothing else are fundamental opposites.

As a man I’m sure I’m simple and easy to read
And as a man I am continually amazed
By the complexity of the women in my life.
There is an aspect of femininity I want to address
But which remains almost taboo
Behind a natural shield of codified social graces
It’s something I have noticed now for a lifetime
But never presumed to articulate
And now that I try
I’m not even sure how to begin
So strong the natural shield and social façade
Behind the dance of seven veils
A young but not so innocent Salome is revealed.

A seductive flower in all its simple beauty
Soft and vulnerable, fragrant with the promise
Of a sweet nectar within
If its yielding nature is tapped
And a veritable flood released,
If not, if the mood passes
Or never was to begin,
Then there is always the stem of thorns
Catching for one last bite
A gentle wag with a vicious snarl in reserve,
A coy look edged with mocking distain.

The mysterious dance of opposites
Is of course a complimentary push and pull 
Outwardly in the twining pair
And inwardly hidden within the gentle rose
A taut conflict that makes the hint
Of possible cooperation and submission
All the sweeter;
One so eager to take
The other so able to give, 
A bountiful supply rising to meet demand
But only if and when their natures yield.

(6/13/26)

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