You can have the roses, a hot mess
of magenta and bronze. Keep them.
Just leave me the thorns. Because,
survival is as licking honey, round
rugged corners.
Just keep your bread and circuses,
and leave me, weathering a storm.
There is no reason to ridicule faith,
if you have gripe and doubt.
You can have the roses, no longer
soft and roseate. Keep them. Just,
leave me the thorns. Because I get
that they are bristling conceits, of
human nature.
Let the chips fall where they may.
Photo credits: Reader’s Digest
Word group: roses, honey, storm, gripe, bristling, thorns.
Posted for Poems in April @ Real Toads
& on Monday Writes @ My Blog – Verses
52 Responses
Wow, another stunning poem, adding your own special magic to the listed words.
Thank you so much, Rosemary 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Ouch. This one prickles. Good job Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Paul 🙂 so good to see you ❤️
Just leave me the broken pieces, I hear that a lot. Also reminds me of when I was growing up and my sister was old enough to eat fried chicken. I gave her the leg I had been having and opted take the wings instead.
No one wanted them. No one wants the thorns.
..
Thank you so much, Jim 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤
I LOVE the first sentence, and this:
“Just keep your bread and circuses”
Thank you so much, Emillie 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤
Gather the chips, for that, is what life is, what is left when the seconds have passed, no longer what is whole, only tiny chips.
Definitely ❤ thanks for stopping by, Annell 🙂
Liked the defiance in this poem. Telling someone in no uncertain terms how things are going to be. Enjoyed.
Thank you so much, Cressida 😀 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
Wow! Thorn stick with this one. Powerful!!
Thank you so much, Susie 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤
A beautiful poem from a list of 4 words Sanaa. And thank you for the wonderful comment on my poem yesterday!
Thank you so much, Rasz 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤
beyond the thorns
shoeless steps into tomorrow
a new goal
Thank you so much, Magyar 🙂 so good to see you ❤
That was so powerful, Sanaa.. absolute magic of words here… I wished there were few more stanza… reading this one aloud was good 🙂
Thank you so much, Vijita 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤
Read this when it first arrived in email and meant to visit, but today realised I hadn’t.
Your words are truly stunning Sanaa, truly stunning!
Anna :o]
Thank you so much, Anna 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
ah… the thorns. One reason I prefer other flowers in a vase – but this poem is fantastic. The fact that “gripe” is in the word list is awesome.
Thank you so much, Margaret 😀 so glad you liked it ❤ (thank you for such an inspiring prompt)
Because,
survival is as licking honey, round
rugged corners.
Wow! What a magnificent line in a powerful poem of love and loss.
Thank you so much, Kerry 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
gripe and doubt… can be the thorns in any rosy situation..but sometimes they can be the start of better things!!!
Definitely 🙂 thanks for stopping by, Rajani ❤️
I never thought of roses as a “hot mess”—until I read your poem!
Thank you so much, MMT 🙂 so glad you enjoyed it ❤️
We need to appreciate the thorns sometimes, you know. Lovely write, Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Totomai 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤
‘Because,
survival is as licking honey, round
rugged corners.’ ….so true and hits hard…
Thank you so much, Sumana 🙂 so good to see you ❤
Ah, ditch the thorns. They’re like carrying a grudge. In the words of the self-appointed new bard (Taylor Swift) “Let It Go”! Great poem!
Definitely❤ thanks for stopping by, Beverly 🙂
This poem shows determination, a strong point of view. Sometimes it is better to refuse the roses.
Thank you so much, Mary 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤
This is a departure from your usual style, but I really like the ferocity of it.
Thank you so much, Rommy 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤
Wow, this is a different tone for you, and you aced it. So well done.
Thank you so much, Sherry 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤
This is my new favorite! I like its repeat of “You can have the roses” and “Just leave me the thorns.” and the change from “survival is as licking honey, round / rugged corners”
to “they are bristling conceits, of / human nature.” Because even in this dismissal of falsehood you reaffirm the sunnyness that is you–there is something larger that this human just doesn’t understand. But the narrator does.
Awwww!❤ Thank you soo much, Susan 😀 so glad you liked it! I enjoyed writing this one!❤
I like this. It’s a defiant dare to life with the awareness that it’s going to give you thorns anyway. Very sharp write Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Myrna 😀 so glad you liked it ❤️
Roses and thorns – an indelible image, symbolizing the disparity implicit in all relationships … in many different ways. An awesome poem!
Thank you so much, Wendy 😀 so good to see you ❤️
I know this experience. Your poem is powerful and defiant. Good for you,
Elizabeth
Thank you so much, Elizabeth 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤
Intriguing perspectives Sanaa, I particularly like
. “Because,
survival is as licking honey, round
rugged corners.”
Thanks for dropping by my Sunday Standard this week
Much love…
Thank you so much, Gillena 🙂 so glad you liked it ❤