Valentine Roses

Though they’re red, as they should be,

they smell like medicine, the thorns

harmless, tiny, limp, bred for safety.

I miss the scent that came from old world

roses we planted, Ispahan and Rosa mundi.

I would close my eyes and sway.

I miss the hooked thorns, the care I

took to keep them from hurting me.

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The John and Mim Poems is a portrait of a marriage and Miriam Levine’s gift to you.