Blue Rose

I sat upon a misty mountaintop

Soaking up my last view before me

I watched a tree drop

To the grass with glee

In confusion of the fallens happiness

I climbed down to ask

“Why are you happy with your downfall?”

The tree roared with laughter

More confusion came to me at once

“Because, you see, I’ve lived my life

Throughout the years

Growing and blooming in these green fields

I’ve grown to love it here so much

I wish not to give it up

The yellow butterflies fly all around me

I was a home to countless beings

I have died every winter just to

Be brought back to life each spring

I have made a home out of these fields

But lately, I’ve been contemplating

‘Am I the only one whos meant to grow here?’

I’ve come to the conclusion that I am not

There’s more life to come from my downfall

More life will grow through my passing

As happens with all living things

I promise child, this is not my downfall

This is a freedom I had not felt before

I’m out of the ground! I’m up in the air!

If only for a moment more

Before my form changes into

Something more

I’ve pondered greatly and with great haste

But it is time for me to go

And for new life to blossom

To experience the happiness

I had so many times before.”

I said my goodbyes to the wise tree,

And went on with my journey.

The fields stretched and the hills rolled,

Many of the trees were conversing

With one another about the weather

About how lovely May had been

They spoke of the great blue rose

Which grew this time of year

Out of curiosity, I went on to find this blue rose

As the trees spoke so proudly and so fondly

Of the flowers blue hues

I inquired with the trees, “Where is this blue rose?”

The oak tree to my left spoke first,

“The beautiful blue rose flows simply

By the river bed, a day’s journey to the East.

Follow the sunrise and you shall reach

The beauty of the rose you seek.”

I thanked the trees for their directions

And began to make my way East,

Before I could the tree cautioned

“Do not pick the blue rose, for

Bad luck follows those who try

And keep its beauty for themself.

Treat it with kindness, don’t be shy

Bring it some water, not too much

Let the rose know care

And Love, And Light. And leave it be, for it must grow to wilt.”

I made my day’s journey to the East

The day grew dark and so I fell asleep

Underneath the stars, by the fire

I had started on a new summer’s night

Not because it was cold

Or too dark out

But because the fire was a friend

Who I could turn to in the end

If the world decides to fall away

I found some berries the morning after

And ate them up for breakfast

I went on with my journey

To find the beautiful blue rose

In the promise of a new days orange glow

As I walked I saw the river

That the oak tree spoke of

And resting next to the rush of the tides

I saw the mystic hues of blue painted on a rose

I touched the petals of the rose but

Got pricked with a thorn

I went over to the river with a leaf

And filled it up with water

I poured the water on the rose

And then washed my blood away

“So beautiful you are, my love

So haunting is your coloring

I’ve always loved the color blue

In the ocean and in the sky,

Always when it is morning.

I’ve traveled just to find you,

Will you be my rose, my love?

And let me care for you, for always

I will never pick you or destroy you

I wish to love you till I fall.”

The blue rose rocked with the breeze

A warm, comforting summer breeze

The kind of breeze which smells

Of honeysuckle flowers

And wraps all around you, as if to hold you up

“You may water me

And you may remove the bugs from my petals

For always, if you promise not to forget

To care for me the way I need to be cared for.”

I jumped with joy, Oh how wonderful!

I thought, I have found a reason not to

Jump from the mountaintop

A beautiful soul to care for, I thought,

A reason to get up each morning!

“Of course, my love, I will care for you.”

And so I did, Days turned to weeks

And weeks to months.

I cared for the rose for years until

I realized that I must go.

“Why must you leave me?”

Asked the rose,

“Because my love, I wish to pick you

And I wish to give you to a lover.

Because I’ve cared for you for so long

I have forgotten how to care for others.

Because I no longer feel thankful for the trees

Since they do not offer you the sunlight you need.

I do not feel thankful for the storms,

Because I killed a bug which kept trying to eat you

And I cried and buried it right near you

I used to wish on dandelions

And now I kill them off so they do not

Harm you.

I want to care for you, but I’m afraid, I want to care for others too.”

The rose cried out in desperation

“I’ll die without you! How awful you are,

I am the most beautiful of them all

My coloring is unmatched

You will come back one day

And I shall refuse your cries

To reconcile. Leave! If you must,

Do it now so I do not waste a moment

Longer thinking of you going away.”

I poured water on the rose one last time,

And I picked the bugs off its petals

And I made sure there were no weeds around

And I said goodbye and kissed my rose

With blood dripping down my lips

“Away you go, my one true love

And as I watch you go.

I wonder where it is you are

Oh, how the evenings roar

With the silence and the absence

Of you and I, Of us, Of we.

I sit here all alone, tired to my core

I think it’s time for me to go, I will not

Survive without you.

I am sorry for the pain I caused

I know you ache for more.

But I must wilt and die

In order for both of us to grow.”

The rose sang this song, the trees told me

Until her dying days

I wished that I could see her face

I wished that I could feel her grace

My journey took me far,

Much farther than I’ve been.

I stayed away from mountaintops

And blue roses that I’d seen

Alas, I found, a town

Where I was welcomed with a smile

The first time that I had found home,

Since I felt the blood drip down

From kissing my dear rose

The first time, not the last

The kids around the town asked me for my stories

“You’ve traveled far!”

“You’ve seen the world!”

“Wherever was the most beautiful place you’ve gone?”

It took me a moment to think over

All the places where I have grown

I had thought of the mountaintop,

I had thought of every town,

I had thought of the night sky

When I was falling down

But then I realized, even if too late

That the most beautiful place that I had been

Was inside my bones

Inside my heart,

Inside my skin,

Inside my very brain.

I quickly looked around the town

And the bright eyed children

Staring at me with awe.

I smiled at them and told them softly,

“Well, you see, I’ve been to many places

I have seen mountaintops and swam in deep, deep rivers.

I have fought the cold and revelled in the warmth.

I have seen the color palette of our sky

Turn every shade of purple

I have spoken to many wise trees

And many beautiful flowers.

I knew of a beautiful blue rose once,

And I had always thought that she

Was the most beautiful of them all.

But lately I’ve found that since

The summers always turn to fall,

And flowers grow to die,

The most beautiful place you can be

Is inside your heart

Even if I felt as if it had fallen apart

It is a lovely place to be, Alive

A breath of fresh air,

An idea will arrive

You breathe in a masterpiece

That has been drawn to find only you

Since the universe came to be.

We know it to be true

When we are children, is what they say,

It leaves without notice,

Turning your world a shade of blueish gray.

But one day, without notice,

You’ll burst with colors, created only for you to see.

A kind letter from a friend,

A reminder from a much younger version of you

There are more colors out there than blue.”