A Betrayal of Roses
He sent six roses
As if roses made it okay
As if roses washed away
feeling betrayed
As if roses proved mom’s belief
he was one of the good ones
As if roses, his cute smile,
and his silky blonde hair
justified his actions
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It’s Quadrille Monday at dVerse Poets Pub today and I cheated again. I checked out Bjorn’s blog and found the required word is “rose.”
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This poem had bite and sharp like rose thorns.
I don’t like it when roses are used to right a wrong. Never has worked for me.
It doesn’t work for me either.
Roses won’t sweeten the wrong, for the thorns are what will linger
Those are the ones who keep score. I bought her roses – up ten points – that’ll get me out of the dog house. Doesn’t know who he’s messing with!!! Great read.
Some do that, don’t they. I’m glad she sees through it.
When I finished reading your poem, I said to myself, “Send him a murder of crows!” Not sure why. The poet’s tone here is well done. The voice has just the right amount of bile. Excellent!
Good idea. A murder of crows would freak him out for sure.
Another bittersweet rose saga. (More bitter than sweet, but understandable) Good write Linda!
Mere gestures do not fix the underlying problems…like scotch tape to fix a leaking pipe.
“as if” No, it is never that easy. Sharp but not bitter
I can hear the the bitterness in the repetition. It worked really well. I also love the title.
As if!! I hate to ignore those lovely roses but it really won’t suffice to wash away the pain. *sigh*
Powerful write and I can sense the pain. Sometimes roses are nothing more than petals in the wind.
Those thorny roses definitely wilted fast…
as if roses justified his actions.. so true..and yet some real apologies also begin with flowers…
True, but it was a long time before I was ready to forgive this one and it wasn’t roses that got me there.
Happy for you Linda.
Sad that there is even a need for such ruses. Well put.
My first thought was, “Bratty kid!” 😉
Bratty doesn’t even scratch the surface.
Giving roses is a shallow excuse for trying to wheedle your way out of trouble…forget about it! Really enjoyed this one, Linda.
I like the refrain of As if….as if those roses make it okay and justified his actions. Good one Linda.
Thanks. When I was cutting words to get down to 44, those two words taking up eight of my allotment seemed like a good choice. I’m glad you liked it.
This is very real. Roses aren’t the romantic fix!
They can fix some things, but not this.
It’s very moving.
This started off almost cute and then switched to be sharp – excellent.
I think it depends on why the roses are given, and who is giving them… they can be a so-called easy fix…
In this instance, roses definitely were not a fix, easy or otherwise.
Ouch. Pricked myself there.
I cannot but agree with Bjorn. How the roses will wash away all the dirt and make it better. Very good use here of the past and present and reality vs. what he wishes was so. Oh my Linda, you nailed it on this one.
Oh, such a story wrapped up in this! You never use the word ‘thorn,’ yet it is there in implication. Bravo!
Ah, but wait until “You don’t bring me flowers any more” shatters your illusions…
oh my….how some of those young boys can pull the wool over a mom’s eyes. She sees the boy who comes to the door — the daughter is with the boy and beholds who he really is. You’ve told the story well….
So many times the rose as a symbol make it so much better… it’s like a heart-shaped box filled with rocks.