Our love was like a rose
It blossomed over time
A beautiful yellow bloom
We took tender care of it
Watered it, checked the soil
Even pruned it when we
Knew it really needed it
But we kept getting cut
On the ever-sharp thorns
Hurting ourselves over and over again
Because our love was greater
Than the ****** scars

But like a rose
I discovered that it had wilted
You tried so hard to care for it
But you didn’t know how
Sometimes it was overwatered
Other times it was left bone dry
When it shook in the wind and cried
You didn’t know what to do
And frankly, neither did I

Day after day,
I cared for it tenderly
Watered it, checked the soil
And even did all of the pruning
Maybe it was far too much
Because you no longer knew how
But you tried anyway, I know
Still, it eventually wilted
And you didn’t even know

It wilted
It dried and became a shell
The thorns protecting what was left
So I gathered the petals with care
Some withered and I cried
But carefully still, I gathered them
The petals of the wilted rose
And put them in a jar of glass
Your name written on the inside
Of its blank white lid
So only I would know
Wilted, our love is wilted
Dried petals in a jar of glass
On a shelf collecting dust
But the memories live on,
Of course they still do
How could they not?
After all, you were
My first true love
My yellow rose.

- Jay M
May 10th, 2022