Rose

Her name is Rose

and somehow it fits her perfectly.

She is a beauty beyond compare

whose vibrancy brings light to all who surround her

but her thorns keep people away

and she is never appreciated,

not even by me.

I realized that beside her I was a mere dandelion,

incomparable to the brilliant rose,

and in my jealousy of her unattainable charm

I lashed out at her kindness,

never getting a chance to say

“Goodbye Rose.”

Her name was Rose,

and her beauty was beyond compare,

but when her petals left her so did her allure.

Her sickly pale face grew more and more ashen

until it was a subtle shade of gray.

She had gone without pain

gone quietly in her sleep,

but as tears slid down my face

I realized that I had never said,

“Goodbye Rose.”