They say
that in poetry
One can confess
all their sins
be freed from
their past
and start again
but these words
I write
won’t last long enough
to be remembered
no matter how hard
I try to hide them
behind flowery prose
they will never
smell like a rose
It was there
for the picking,
a velvet ruby red
long and slender swaying
in the comfort of it's bed.
Petals splayed precisely
an enticing grand display,
nature made perfection
quite impressive in bouquet.
It's time of year approaching
when given, just to say
I think of you as special
you're my valentine this day.
("The Longest Journey", 2020, original encaustic)
Beyond Words, A Rose By Any Other Name…
Everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout it
because it, is all there is.
Like there is but one sun
everyone sees and is extolling.
Even when they’re pointing at the moon
it’s still just Sun’s light
reflecting on her face.
Yet still people fuss and fight
splitting hairs all through the night…
But meanwhile Life goes on,
and if you want to see
the hand of God at work
look no further than the play of children,
or musicians, grooving with each other,
riding waves of wordless bliss,
swirling dancers in their wake.
Everybody’s talkin’ ‘bout it
after all, what more is there to say?
(1/28/24)
A Rose by Any Other Name
Wouldn’t you know it
The French people rule
Inventing a pill
That makes farting cool
A wee little pill
You take when you eat
So that gas from your cheeks
Smells ever so sweet
Violets or roses
Or chocolate perfume
Instead of foul odors
Permeate the whole room
They even have those
You can feed to your dog
If you’ve got the kind
That lets out a foul fog
And a special this week
If you buy at least three
They will send you a fourth
And the shipping is free
I don’t make these things up
Pilulepet.com
Get some for your pets
Or for your dad and mom
May your holiday smells
Be something you’d like
That’s a holiday wish
From your old Uncle Mike
All the names are just the same
If you are sweet like a rose
I confess, I’m not impressed
Oh, how little that bard knows
For the name of your loved one
Can make you completely melt
When it’s breathed in your heart
Its vibrations are deeply felt
The name of your loved one
Is a promise in one word…
That his love is eternal
His unfaithfulness, unheard
The name of your loved one
Is with passion intertwined
Your lips caress each letter
Your heart echoes it in rhyme
The name of your loved one
Is salvation’s greatest treat
Though you pass through gates of hell
It’ll take you to heaven sweet
The name of your loved one
Is simply beyond compare
No other name can match it
No other would even dare
And so it is, beloved
When we’re making love sublime
Your name bursts out from my lips
Making your sweet name… divine
Eileen Manassian Ghali
In France they don’t call it a pothole
Instead they call it a hen’s nest
It sounds much nicer doesn’t it?
But for drivers, they’re still a pest
Looking into your eyes,
I can see the signs.
Baby, my hearts on fire.
A million daisies,
Growing in a field
Could not fill my hearts desires.
The way you hold me,
The looks I see in your eyes.
The feeling of your arms around me.
The way my heart jumps,
When you enter the room.
The way your eyes glow,
when your focused on me.
There aren't many words
That I can say to you,
But the few words i can say
Baby, I love you.
i journied through a forrest covered in haze.
through the thick grey fog there was a bright glow of red.
i stumbled trying to make my way towards it,
tripping on the roots from apple trees.
i came closer to this red. a rose was revealed.
this rose was mesmerising. my hand reached for it without thought.
immediately, i threw my now red fingers back.
under this rose were thorns sharp as daggers.
in my state of confusion, i could’ve sworn i heard Someone say,
“this is not yours to take”
He pricked himself
reaching for the rose,
the scent and beauty
drawing him near.
He was determined
approaching again and again.
He found more thorns
that further injured him.
Growing annoyed,
roughly grabbing,
more scrapes, cuts and then
he crushed the flower with his hand.
She screamed.
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.