Quick as a flash

Quick as a flash the rose opened flat;
where was the core that bespoke of the more
that should have been and could have been
if more time had been spent on the planning.

I wish I had planned and not simply fell
into the need of love
because it’s not needed, not really, you know,
when a stand-in for the genuine.

The genuine hides like the core of a rose
and refuses to build from the start up
because it knows the ground not prepared
to support and nourish its immense growth.

Pink is the rose that opened flat
right next to the fully formed white
and maybe they will cross-breed one day
and be as love unconditional.

I still feed that rose from the place I’m at
because I know what’s growing nearby
but if I didn’t know, that rose would be me
dreary, lifeless, and flat!