The Rose She Refused To Take

Like a skydiver whose

parachute failed to open

or an astronaut whose

rocket never made

it into space,

my dreams had been

painfully broken

and a tragic ending

was mine to embrace.

At that moment not one

single word was spoken

nor did any tears of despair

stream down my face.

I took with me only

rejection as a token

and for days stared

disconsolately at the

rose she refused to take.