Tanka
rose in the city
so rare and beautiful
a symbol of love
rising soft from concrete
hope in the midst of chaos
A rose by the shore of Geneva's lake
brings back memories of love now gone away.
The petals are like the lips I once kissed
and the thorns like the pain of our goodbye.
The fragrance of the rose is like the scent
of your hair when we would lay in bed.
I can't forget the way you used to look
or the way you made me feel inside.
The rose is like a part of you that's still with me
and seeing it makes me sad and glad.
It's a reminder of our happy times
and a symbol of our love that died.
The Rose of Time
What is it about a rose
That holds such sway o'er hearts,
And keeps our hope alive
When all around us fails?
Is it the way its petals curl
Or how the thorns still prick,
Defying all the while
The withering of Time?
Perhaps it is the way
It stands for all that's fair,
A promise of tomorrow
In the language of today.
Or maybe it's because
A rose, like love, will never die...
And in its beauty we can find
The hope that never fails.
***
The autumn light is like a warm blanket,
And the taste of cool air on my tongue
Is like a cold glass of water on a hot day.
I love the way the leaves change color
And the way the air smells
As the days get shorter and the nights get longer.
I love the sound of the leaves crunching
Under my feet,
And the way the world seems to slow down
As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer.
***
A rose,
The autumn light,
The taste of cool air on my tongue,
All these things I love.
But most of all, I love you.
Your beauty catches my eye,
Your smile warms my heart,
Your touch sets my soul on fire.
I love you,
With all my heart,
With all my soul,
With all my being.
I love you,
Now and forever.
***
La lumière d'automne est si douce,
Le goût de l'air frais sur ma langue,
Et une rose, comme une promesse
De tout ce qui est beau dans la vie.
***
A rose by the lake shore caught my eye,
Its beauty a stark contrast to the sky.
I thought of you and our love long lost,
And how you used to be my everything.
The petals of the rose were soft and red,
Just like the lips I used to crave.
I remembered how your touch felt on my skin,
And the way you used to make me feel.
The rose made me think of all we had,
And how it all just up and died.
I thought of all the things we could have been,
And how I never said goodbye.
***
Tanka (edited by TankaThursday)
rose in the city
so rare and beautiful
a symbol of love
rising soft from concrete
hope in the midst of chaos
***
A rose by the side of the road
Is all I need to find my way
To the place I've been searching for
And the raven by my side
Is all I need to guide me
To the place I've been searching for
And together we'll find
The place we've been searching for
***
Roses are crafty
They make you think they're all sweetness & love
But watch out for their thorns
They'll prick you when you're not looking
But even with their thorns
Roses are still beautiful
And they're worth the risk
So take a chance on your ❤️
And hope it doesn't have too many thorns
***
I
A rose in autumn is like a song
That's been forgotten and then remembered again:
Its beauty is fading, but it's still sweet and strong,
And its petals are falling, one by one.
II
But though the rose may fade and die,
Its memory will live on in our hearts,
And its beauty will be seen again
In the autumn days when the leaves start to fall.
***
I
O rose, fair flower of summertime,
I cherished thee of old!
Thou wert the queen of all my rhyme,
And still thy charms unfold.
II
Thy petals soft and velvety,
Thy colours rich and rare,
Attest the love that made thee be
The fairest of thy fair.
III
And though thy beauty soon may fade,
And all thy sweetness die,
In memory's fragrant pages thou
Shalt live eternally.
***
A rose by any other name
would smell as sweet
But what if roses
had no name at all?
Would they still smell
as lovely and sweet?
Or would they be
just another flower,
blooming and fading
in the blink of an eye?