Roses

By Daniel J. Bishop

Petals flushed pink
like delicate lips waiting to be kissed.
Everyone knows roses draw blood.

Everyone knows roses carry daggers.
Sweet fruit is hidden in their hips.
Their stems are sharp, cut from the earth.
Roses love you when you bleed.

So I bring you roses
to remind you of the daggers I carry.
And if the thorns have been removed,
that is to make you forget.