P a i n t i n g Her r o s e s R e d

In the autumn dreary all those years ago

Where a heart beat was the drumming of rain droplets

And a smile was the burning tongues of maples set ablaze

I remember how a beautiful smirk died slowly like the fawn lilies

And how a copper stare could rust

How baby's breath grew breathless

And how the ribs poked painfully like the jagged tree branches

I remember birch stripes on her wrists

And yew on her tongue

How her flavor was of hawthorn

A bitter comb of honey

I remember how a pall of fog was her dressing

And how climbing ivy was her noose

How she pushed daisies

And caught only cobwebs

I remember the violets on her sides

And the weeping willow in her eyes

I remember how her roses weren't red enough

And how she slid tiger grass along her throat to paint them