Smothered Black Rose
Black rose,
your soul aerates
an ebony, sweet calamus fragrance
Paved over by concrete of regret ...
unharvested time lost, never again to get
Delicate black rose,
a beautiful flower died in the field of Goshen
Smothered by careless neglect ...
We who have ailing loved ones,
feel we have time enough yet
to mend those fences that are broken
But the petals fall to the ground when you least expect
Plucked from the garden of life
in her sleep peacefully ...
her tired body set free, released
from the bonds of her infirmities
I loved you,
even as I embraced your dying essence
Fearlessly you faced
the specter of death with grace
and dignity
I wished I had showed I loved you more,
and told you as much
People say how well I took care of you,
but I feel like I didn't do enough
But your forgiveness was more than enough
It revived me, and set my guilt free
Beautiful black rose,
you were a loving mother to me;
I remember well your tears of caring,
shed so unselfishly
Crying to God for the life of your children
Though you were dying, you hid your pain
from our eyes very well
We never could tell the agony behind the smile,
all the while, your flowering spirit
dispersed seeds of love to the last gasp
Timeless, blossoming black rose,
the deep roots of your loving memory comforts me ---
more than living hearts could ever know
This poem is dedicated to my late beloved mother, Barbara
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