On your shoulder stands a monster
Name is insecurity
Grotesque green-eyed gargoyle
Subverting surroundings you see

My heart an antique treasure
Covered in dross and dust
Every afternoon bricks wedged between
Barrier built by broken trust

In haste to label me a villain
Strengths overlooked without a second glance
Few foolish mistakes I may have made
We will never succeed if you don't give us the chance

There's plenty space for us to grow
Turn over a new leaf
Full of abundant paranoia
No room in skull for belief

I cannot take anymore upheaval
Over and over again a skipping track
Interrogation ripping flesh
Infinite questions break back

On map I illustrate details
Appeasing you is tough
Doesn't matter how accurate my statements
Efforts seem to not ever be enough

I feel indignity
Gently caressing insight
Embracing like a family member
Not afraid of standing up for what's right

So very tired of being pegged as the bad guy
I take cover from insinuations
In a brave moment of futility
Kick the door in to house of expectations

I dance in entryway like the whole world is blind
Until I collapse because you make it so hard
Each invalid word flung my direction
Slowly wriggles through thought's guard

It comes together
Pieces of a mechanism
Dismembering my self-esteem
Out of nowhere insults are thrown my way
Rage rises in me like steam

My voices speak brutal tones
Echoing deeply within brain
Sometimes can't tell if my demons are lying
Till morning sheds light on what's sane

Sleeping dogs won't keep eyes closed
I'm turned upside down
I can't help but crawl back to your arms
When day shifts perception around

Every which way emotions are conflicted
Rest when you realize you are wrong
Leaving me alone in peace for awhile
Until next episode comes along

Till my fatigued legs are forced to start running
Miles to showa the light
Fly to a place with less distress
Pinky promise we will be alright

And wait for you to come to your senses
Whether noon or months from now
Playing out scene however it unfolds
In future like a garden we will bloom somehow

In jungle of life where so many are ruthless
Are the only man who catches my eye
Contrary to what imagination might assume
Have no inclination or need to glance at another guy

I told you before and I'll say it again
Simply not that kind of girl
Fact that you would even entertain that notion
Truthfully makes me want to hurl

We have faced fair share of challenges
I'm sure there are more to come
If you want me to be better try building my confidence
Instead of opposite like calling me dumb

Why does it look like you create obstacles?
If let be the path would remain clear
You search so persistently for problems
Eventually they are bound to appear

Making mountains of molehills
Just wish for you to appreciate what you've got
May never have as much to offer as you
I give you my love and that's a lot

I'm left wondering where things went wrong
Striving to present my best
Will you notice what's so obvious to me?
Despite our issues we both are blessed

Think if eyes were truly open
Have nothing but faith in me
Loyalty and devotion are screaming at top volume
You are too focused on my shortcomings to see

(Two roses, passionate and peaceful, their love a force that is simultaneously grounding and elevating. Where Valentina is the beautiful, passionate lover, Lucian is the constant protector and source of light. Their love—is as eternal as the blooming of roses, forever intertwined in a dance of devotion, passion, and protection)

Valentina:
Dearest companion of my soul,
How you are the very light that makes me whole!
Your ruby hue, so rich and fine,
Doth bring to mind the sun’s last shine.
When I am near you, all else doth fade,
As though the world in reverence laid.
Oh, let me linger in your arms so near,
For in your presence, I hold no fear.
I am yours, petal by petal, year by year.

Lucian:
Ah, my most beloved, you speak with such grace,
Your words a sweet balm, my heart’s embrace.
Your fragrance, gentle as the morning breeze,
Doth whisper of love’s most tender pleas.
I am but a simple rose in your domain,
Yet in your gaze, I rise again, free of pain.
Your red is more than nature’s design—
It is the very soul of love, divine.

Valentina:
Indeed, dear one, your words touch me so—
As though they were written in the heavens’ glow.
Your fragrance, like a gentle hymn, doth rise,
Filling my heart, my thoughts, my skies.
When I am kissed by the wind’s soft hand,
I dream of you, our love’s sweet land.
Would that I could forever stay,
Bathed in the sweetness of your sway.

Lucian:
How cruel it is that time doth part,
Yet you remain the keeper of my heart.
Your red is not the hue of mere flowered bloom,
But the shade of passion, of love’s sweet room.
With each petal that soft doth fall,
I am reminded of love’s most noble call.
Though our seasons may soon be done,
Know, dearest one, we shall always be one.

Valentina:
Oh, my darling, your words so tenderly spoken
Are the very breath of love, unbroken.
Let us not fret what seasons may bring,
For love transcends time’s fleeting wing.
In your arms, I am not bound by age or fate—
With you, my dear, I shall always wait.
For the red of our hearts shall ever remain,
A symbol of love’s most sweet refrain.

Lucian:
And so we bloom, not for the hour,
But for the gift of love’s full power.
Your fragrance shall live in every breeze,
Whispering sweetly through the trees.
Though our petals may fall, our love is true—
In every bloom, I shall find you.
For in your red, I see the endless sky,
And in your gaze, I shall never die.

Valentina:
Then, my dearest, let us rise above the earth,
And evermore, in love, find our worth.
For though we may fall with the autumn rain,
Our love will bloom, again and again.
In your red, I see the fire of our days,
In your fragrance, the sweetness of all that stays.
Together, dear, let us ever be,
Two roses bound in eternity.

Lucian:
Forever, my love, this bond we shall share,
For your heart and mine are beyond compare.
In the garden of life, where love is sown,
We shall bloom in a glory of our own.
Let others fade, let others fall—
In your red, I am blessed, after all.