The Winter Rose And Lilac Poem by Michael Burch

The Winter Rose and Lilac
by Michael R. Burch

(after William Blake)

The rose of love's bright promise
lies torn by her own thorn;
her scent was sweet
but at her feet
the pallid aphids mourn.

The lilac of devotion
has felt the winter hoar
and shed her dress;
companionless,
she shivers—nude and sore.

Published by Songs of Innocence, The Aurorean and Contemporary Rhyme.
Keywords/Tags: William Blake, winter, love, sick, rose, sickness, worm, sex, bright, promise, potential, fragility, vulnerability, tattered, torn, thorn, naked, nakedness, nude, shivering, sore, scent, fragrance, aroma, sweet, pallid, aphids, lilac, devotion, hoar, hoarfrost, frost, ice