Returning to a place where I was long ago and truly leaving it behind me. |
I wander, I wander this lonely afternoon Alone, I wander to a garden of old Ill-tended, left overgrown - a corpse Mockery of its former beauty. My eyes close for a moment, remembering. They open, and I find myself in the center - The very heart of this fabled garden. I look to my feet, knowing full well what I'll find. A rose - ancient, yet still blooming It lays at my feet, an omen - An invitation I cannot resist. My trembling fingers reach for the stem Careful to avoid the thorn, covered in blood My blood, fresh in spite of time - In spite of all that has come to pass I caress the petals, close my eyes. Faintly, the rose smells sweet As it did that fateful afternoon. But another scent lingers Of long years, meager wisdom Come by at a heavy price A renegade finger strokes the thorn - That which caused me such pain. Eyes shut against tears, I remember I remember With a start my fingers drop the flower I stare at it on the cobblestones For but a moment, barely a breath. Of its own will my boot moves - Crushing the rose of my past As with a single tear - but a single tear I leave the garden of my childhood Never to return again |