Roses Amidst the Thorn (ePub)

Roses Amidst the Thorns is a collection of poems which traces a couples intimate, twenty year relationship--their young, uninhibited love, their mature spiritual love, the breakdown of their love and the acceptance of the changes in their love.
It is my hope by writing these poems to stimulate the reader in such a manner that they realize loving is universal. It is the most powerful force which governs the paths of our lives.
At one time or another, we all move into similar phases within relationships. We experience common feelings, feelings which are not so unique to ourselves as they are to the human condition. Hopefully, we learn as a group to regard and cherish the rose (our loves) amidst the thorns (society and self-gratification) so that we may nurture our relationships seeking guidance, wisdom and strength from God, instead of watching them wither and die.
ROSES AMIDST THE THORNS


Our love began as a tiny bud.
An introduction by a close friend,
A flashed smile, a quick flirtation,
Gentle touches with long conversations
Lasting into the night.

You were fire and ice
A whirlwind wanting to change
Your surroundings.
I was struck by the sheer electricity
Around you.

As you entered a room
An aura of blue light flooded your countenance.
I felt caught up in the glow of your illumination.

Tremendous growth occurred with you.
The petals of my sheltered life
Gently began to open.
I blossomed into a radiant woman.
Unafraid, I turned myself to your exposure.
I drank in your rays and basted in the comfort
Of your love.

Encased within the beauty of the rose
Are the sharp thorns which surface
Randomly on the stem.
I took each thorn as it emerged.
Lifting my petals so they wouldnt tear
Into my blossoms.
I was contented because you wanted me.

The stem was strengthened
By the outpouring of love and attention
You showered upon me.
I grew, radiated pastel colors
And opened completely.

For a long time I remained
In this blossomed state.
Taking for granted that the warmth
Of your love and the light
Which beamed from you
Would always be there.
Blinded by my comfort,
I chose not to see the changes in the seasons.

Yes, my petals shivered
When the cold set in.
But I could visualize the glow and warmth.
I paid no attention to the real climate.
I mentally created my own environment.
For me I was still that beautiful rose
You tended and loved.

By the time I realized I was withered
And in danger of dying
I had no strength to pull my stem up.
As I tried
My petals gently fell to the ground.
Now instead of a beautiful rose,
Was a stick with thorns
Lying crushed in the dirt.

But as with all Gods creations
He affords us the chance of rebirth
And new spirit.
I look forward to the Spring
When all things are new.
And life begins again.

I WATCHED YOU CHANGE


I watched you change,
From the person
I loved, became a part of and respected,
Into someone dark, deceiving and unfeeling.

Perhaps you were right.
Maybe I never knew the real you.
If so, Im glad I knew
The person you pretended to be.

For in that person
Lived kindness, strength and unshakable faith.
A spiritual giant,
Who inspired me to believe
And reach for the stars.
A gentle spirit, loving
Yet firm with his children.
A passionate lover, an understanding friend.

I watched the metamorphosis take place.
Exchanging honesty with lies,
Caring with manipulation,
Loving with indifference,
And I mourn for my husband now lost.

I watched you change.
I stood by and did nothing.
False pride, pain and jealously
Kept me from reaching out to you.

I can only hope
Someday youll discover
The courage to find yourself again.
This time allowing God
To make the changes in you
That Ive prayed Hed make in me.
SEPARATING


For me the time has come
To separate myself from you.
The pain of feeling our marriage
Being ripped apart
Is more than I can bear.

I thought