Death's Hand; a black Rose

One of the world's personification of beauty is a Rose. It is a mystery wrapped in fragrance and color. And defines many meanings in our hearts.

Death's Hand; a black Rose

By

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 

(Thorns and Petals)

On these thorns of misery 

a rose has come to bloom

Its colors echo many gifts

in petals of her plume

Within deepest red is love

that pierces heart's defense 

Indulges all our fantasies 

destroys our common sense 

In lavender enchantment grows

beyond the place of dreams 

Casts us into fairytale

till lost in rainbow beams

Within the white is purity 

as clear as winter's snow

Treasured most by avarice hearts

attracted to its glow

In gold the sign of friendship 

steadfast and resolute 

Where loyalty and honor reign 

amongst its strong pursuits 

But in the hand of Death I see

a gift as black as coal 

Whose lanquished prickly razor stem

proves tempting towards my soul...

Author's Note

I love roses since I was a child and watching my grandmother in her garden tend to them. Their colors just mesmerize me in so many ways. I feel they are made from the stuff of dreams and angels breath. CLE

Reviews

[William Michael Reeves]

And after the roses life is spent they become more and more black. To some more and more beautiful. Is it possible for a flower to be as beautiful in death as it was in life? I feel like you touched that idea with your thorn and made our souls bleed. This poem was dense with ideas just as a rose and her petals. A heavy blossom well written.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you William for such a kind thoughtful comment on this poem. It's one of my favorites. It is very complex and dense in symbolism. Some may believe contrite in message. But it does prove thought which is always a primary goal mine when writing most of the time. On a side note roses have always play such an indelible part of my life. As a youth my grandmother who I adored had a garden she would always tend to. Watching her always left me with such an undeniable feeling of reverence and spiritual affirmation. As if I was watching God create the garden of Eden. A place I felt I did not belong even as a youth. Strange I should remember that now. CLE

[keith]

a palette of colors canvas turned bright with words softly chosen

DAMN MAN! sometimes you almost find my human side. HA!

i sneak a peek then read your rhyming delight ... and i don't mind them much at all
well done my friend well done

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Keith for your kind comment on this poem. From one whose art often stirs my emotions I value this review a lot. You are an awesome poet whose work is powerful because it comes from a place of truth. To me that is where the best art comes from. It's something the world needs more than anything in these difficult of times...the truth. And you speak it the way we need to hear it my friend. CLE

[Brad Dehler]

Very nice. I like the visuals and to put black roses up front and center is certainly interesting. Keep telling us these stories and vignettes. Your grandmother surely is smiling down upon you Carlos.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you so much Brad for your comment and encouragement. I really appreciate it. I just submitted a fun haunting new piece of poetry. This month has inspired a lot of my more darker writing. I love October and that haunting day Halloween that comes with it. It keeps the creative mind active and less stressed because of the difficult times we live in. CLE

[Dave Brown]

They are an extremely beautiful flower, one that when well painted, excels above all others.
We are in a difficult rose growing area so perhaps we should face reality and instead, paste your beautiful poem within our garden patch.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Dave for your kind comment on this poem. I love roses they retain their beauty regardless of the color. They have always just been so mystical to me. In some ways they capture the brevity of beauty itself, because in time they eventually wilt and dry up like us than die. But for that short period of time they are mesmerizing to behold. CLE

[Ann Outlaw]

I loved reading this, wonderful way to put the words into place and give so much beautiful detail. Thanks for sharing.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Ann for sharing your thoughts with me on this poem. This was fun to write because of my adoration for the flower. My grandmother who raised me during my more formative years had a garden that had roses blooming in it. Whenever I think of this flower it reminds me of her and all the wise words she imparted to me as a child. Most of my poetry is owed to her memory. Knowing that you loved reading this work means so much because it honors her memory and the love she planted in me that helped me grow into the writer I am. CLE

[Coyote Poetry]

I want to grow some black roses in my garden. I have the English pink and the English white. I never saw black roses in Michigan. Maybe I can be the first Carlos. I enjoyed the poetry. The color of roses. Can be meaningful gifts. Thank you for sharing the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you CP for your comment I appreciate it. In any color it is undeniable that roses are simply beautiful. They deserve the recognition they get for defining beauty and love, as well as other things. Thank you again my friend.

[Coyote Poetry]

A amazing poem and you are welcome Carlos.

[Red Brick Keshner]

There is an avarice that only an avaricious heart knows
That brings such avariced results way before it snows
Where languished stem of prickly razored bloom
Sparkles in the eye of a famished groom

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

hehe oh those virgin brides will be the death of us indeed. Thank you Fredrick for your delightful ryhme. You sure caught the gist of that particular stanza in this poem.

[Red Brick Keshner]

Indeed! Hopefully it is a death with a smile on the face.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Lol I hope so, or someone is doing it wrong hehe.

[Lorry]

Please standby while I enter corrective smug git mode...

Ah, Carlos... A fine piece of poetry, while following in the footsteps of greats, like Shakespeare and Axl Rose, in thinking quite wrongly that roses have thorns. They in fact have prickles and I must exit smug git mode before you stab me!...
Phew, apologies my friend. Ever since I heard this weird fact, I can't help but pass it on. I am on the way to the naughty step as I speak. Without pudding too! 😊

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

I will accept that fact with the utmost humbleness my poetic friend. I could only hope to aspire towards those two genius artists you mentioned. Thank you so much again and know I'm still in stitches over your latest work. CLE

[Toni.S]

Wow, great similes and metaphors. Such an in-depth description of a rose.
Nice work.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you so much Toni for your comment on this poem. I appreciate it. I had a bit of fun writing this simple little piece. I'm always one to be either emotive in my writing or effusive as to paint image with words. This pretty much composed itself with its rythmic rhyming flow. It turned out good and left me satisfied that it was a completed piece. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me.

[Soren]

A truly beautiful poem. Couplets seem perfect to this presentation evenly presenting each color and quality. The colors do evoke such feelings and you did a masterful job wording each to evoke strong imbedded emotions to each but the last couplet is my favorite implying that that death has both sides, that to be dreaded and yet it is alluring at the same time. Death does seem to be natures only justice in that none escape it. This poem will be one of my favorites.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Thank you Soren I really appreciate your comment because it captures the exact themes I was striving towards. Especially the ending which you identified its exact purpose. I really enjoyed the simple flow of this poem to illustrate its message and meaning in a non complex way. As a writer I always want to touch emotions and also make the work tangible to the senses. This is one in a very few that feels actually complete to me. Thank you again my friend.