Rose's Raven

Winter holds sway, silently she combs Death

Frozen is the barren bed, lamentation of swans

Dark starless night, the cold wind keening

Rose tumbles

Love a dream lost, her August songbird long rusted

Years spill forth, hope dashed by winter storms 

The Old Man holds fast, garden gnomes retire

Rose yearns 

White blanket relents, earthen eyes flutter anew

Sprout sips from a golden chalice, she stretches

Sunlight kisses foliage, duvet gently unfurls

Rose stirs

Garden denizens frolic, bees caress pistils bright

Stem scant with leaves, floret tightly wound

Life flourishes, yet no bloom does she share 

Rose withers

Shadows cast long, no lover has she found

Nourishment enough, her thirst never slaked

Raven knits the wilted bud, a red dash trembles  

Rose retires

First snow cuddles, the curtain call of a lost year

Yearning stirs the November moon, restlessly she weeps

Desire prepares a meal of despair, fasting is essential

Rose acquiesces