Beyond Her Petals

The rose has been labeled upon many aspects.
A symbol of beauty.
A combination of grace and delicacy used to appease the standards of love.
Something that needs to be protected.

But has the story behind her ever been considered?
Why is it that she with such a beautiful face may harm you if you get too close?
That her prepossessing bloom is accompanied by her bristled spine?
The rose with her fragile frame of fire, ushers in her prey. Thorns penetrate deep, drawing scarlet.

Many see this as a reason to be heedful, to sever the pieces of her they fear.
But this is not a flaw, this is her weapon.
Rather than dwindling her beauty, they enhance it, proving her strength.
She has been wronged. She protects herself for she fears the dangers the world has bestowed upon her.
She has been stereotyped as delicate, when truly she knows how to guard herself from her demons.

The rose can be deceiving, for you do not expect her to fight back.
She has developed her strength over misfortune and behind her bloom is her story.
Her life is a rhythm that she plays aesthetically.
By Summer she thrived, sprouting new petals
By Fall she shriveled, facing the cold winds alone, forced to struggle for survival.
By Winter she exhaled her last breath, closing her bloom, closing her heart.
By Spring she resurged. She came back to fight, to deceive, to flourish.
Every rose has her thorns, but that does not mean she isn't beautiful.