Valentine Roses

 

FROM THE ONLINE CHAPBOOK THE JOHN AND MIM POEMS

Valentine Roses

Miriam Levine

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.

Cover of The John and Mim Poems by Miriam Levine, featuring a man and woman smiling at each other against a bright red and orange background.

The John and Mim Poems
Miriam Levine
2026

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

 
 
Poems, The John and Mim PoemsMiriam Levine