Ablaze Spring 2025 2

The Violent Rose

Ruth Haverschmidt

“The Violent Rose” (v.3)

“The Violent Rose” (v.1)

Like a rose so red it seems to bleed she wears her heart upon her sleeve and goes through life with thorns unsheathed sparing none her wrath even her lovers bleed

A rose so red it seems to bleed

like a desperate lover with a desperate need to prove his intentions are true indeed so he summed all his heart into this florist’s breed and presented it to her when they next convened.

like a rose so red so, boy, take heed.

“The Violent Rose” (v.2)

A rose so red it seems to bleed, like her lips

whenever he feels the need to work out his frustrations on her face at speed; later, he’ll sober up and order a dozen of these: another apology for another misdeed.

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