Each Friday we provide the link to the
blogger who is hosting a celebration of
poetry around the blogosphere. There
you can find the links to the many other
blogs that are posting poems (new and
old), discussions of poems, and reviews
of poetry books. It’s also a great way to
explore the internet.
Enjoy the festivities!
The host this week is Irene Latham.
You can find her here.
(Rosa gallica pontiana by Pierre-Joseph
Redouté, 1759-1840, French botanist and
watercolorist)
ONE PERFECT ROSE
A single flow’r he sent me, since we met.
All tenderly his messenger he chose;
Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet —
One perfect rose.
I knew the language of the floweret;
“My fragile leaves,” it said, “his heart enclose.”
Love long has taken for his amulet
One perfect rose.
Why is it no one ever sent me yet
One perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no, it’s always just my luck to get
One perfect rose.
~ Dorothy Parker (1893-1967), American writer of poetry and short stories
I poetry editor once cited this poem in a conversation with me about how you can't say "flowers" in a poem, but you can say "rose." All about specificity, and Ms. Parker knew that, didn't she? Love the pic!
ReplyDeleteI'd take a rose any day of the week over a limo. Must be the hopeless (or should it be hapless) romantic in me. We are also celebrating romance, love and "unlove" with Suite Hip of the Earth over at GatheringBooks. Nice synergy!
ReplyDeleteWhat a hoot! Didn't realize it was Dorothy Parker and the ending took me by pleasant surprise.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm, perfect rose or limo? Well, I'll take both :).
So funny...but before I came to the end, I thought of picking a perfect rose for my love, my husband. I know he'd like it better than a limo.
ReplyDelete