Elements of Beauty

Rose

Her petals, stained in brilliant red,

freely wander the cavern

seeking the empty treasure beneath

to lay at peace the mortal soul.

And her razored leaves

reach beyond the grave,

entwined in the warped marble

of a forgotten epitaph.

While the thorny spine

of glittering innocence

is cast between solid gold

to crack the perfect shield

masked in unwavering beauty.

She falls,

this time never to be unearthed.