Roses Bloom For You (2019) (revised 2024)

I walked through my garden of dreams yesterday

And beheaded the tops of daisy’s

After they repeatedly called out your name.

Passing by the violets,

I take a minute to shed a few tears

Even though they only stare at me, dazed,

I can’t help but to feel their immense amount of pain.

Because their purple color hues remind me

Of the scars that were left

From going through physical wars with you, but only

Temporarily marking my body with love, a bruise disguised as your kiss.

Wandering through a field of tulips,

Their petals begin to fall, exposing my truth,

Of how I still plant thoughts of you in my mind

Every spring

Because with the mix of my blue hydrangea tears,

It is the only soil rich enough to keep the lilacs in my mind

Blooming beautifully, all the time.

Two white butterflies flutter to me

To lead me down a path in this floral maze,

Taking me to an area overcrowded by weeds and shadowed by trees

A single rose appears before me.

Picking it, I am pricked by the thorns built to protect

It’s beautiful skin.

As I bleed, I am flooded with memories of us

And reminded of how in this fucked up reality

Roses only bloom for you.

M.H John