White Faded Rose

Tapping the vein,

Your needle shoots deep —

Passing through the stem

And into the soft white flesh

That lies beneath my paved skin.

Opening the faucet

To let it run, you watch

The golden sap flow from my branches

And into your cupped hands —

Collecting all you can,

You draw, and keep drawing,

Until there’s nothing left

But a tar-like substance

That drips down my arms

And falls, from my petals,

my fingertips — without hesitation.

Leaving behind my puddles of life

On the ground, to be soaked up

Like tears — falling from my flower,

To the earth, to the sky;

To be reborn again.