Red, Red Rose

She takes the red, red rose
By its jade-green stem,
Because one rose may mean, I love you
And in love she does believe.

Lush petals pressed soft
To an ivory nose,
As the sweet scent of hope,
Within this infatuation grows

Petals of crimson dance,
As thoughts of late do twirl.
But not all are games so lovely,
And soon we all must fall.

Caress of silken scarlet,
Let each young layer drift.
Cloaked in silver moonlight,
The crimson life does spill.

Night swathed in blood-red pools;
Garden of flower corpses
Red, red doom

Soon all is gone,
Pale fingers that chose a red, red rose,
Grasp no more
Than a thorny stem
Of jade, jade green.
For sooner or later,
Every love must die.