Longstemmed roses
three deeply crimson
long and slender stemmed
towering over their thorns

giving off scent unexpected
even unpremeditated
out of the blue
invading solitude
and devouring lonliness

and crysaline nourishment
in equal parts
from crystal glass
a presence a
’now and here ness’
notable for all
its normal absence

longstemmed roses
are not commonplace
in the life
of the groundstruck
I have toiled the earth
so long
that roses always
were above my head

and now I look up
unbend my back
and straighten in wonder
to savour the scent
I must uncurl
my bent back and stand,

a man a man of roses
from a petal of paradise
a satellite butterfly
round crimson planets

I will not let my hands
run down
their stems of thorns aware