Today I pruned the roses
I touched the green leaves
one by one
and looked carefully at the
heads that had spent their color
and lost their season.
I ran my fingers softly
over the thorns until
I came to intersection
of where wick met wilt
and I felt the droplet of
blood that ran down my thumb
as I clipped.
And when the husks were gone
I lifted the bursts of color
and inhaled.
I held one gently in my hand
I let the petals fall
and breathed in the blush pink
as they drifted.
Today I pruned the roses
I touched the broken stems
one by one
and my heart cracked
into fragments that
lay alongside the spent blooms
as I realized that summer
had long gone
and winter blew.
