Object lesson

It comes as a surprise
            to realise that things
are as we imagine them
            not as they really are

The rose of our imagination
            brings with it a history
a long narrative and a succession
            of previous appearances
in childhood or adolescence
            or when we first as an adult
presented a single bloom
            on a slender stem
to the love of our life
            A rose without thorns
which we handed over
            to the gloved hand
a token to attest
            to a dream
that we carry within us
            of love everlasting

And yet the rose withers
            changing visibly
under the changing light
            a moment to which we cling
hopelessly and a poignant
            drama borne within the bud
and an object lesson to us all
            as the universe flows on

John Lyons