Philosophy of the Rose

Roses are red, 
or so we've been told.
Why can't they be silver,
red,
blue,
or gold?
Is a rose by no other name,
sweet as nectar,
life as spring rain?
What is a rose by its name?
Cannot a rose be many things?
What is a rose?
A rose is truth,
red as the dawn,
to be love and passion fragrance its perfume,
a rose is light,
white as the lily,
pure and stainless as the soul,
a rose is Grief,
Blue as the crashing sea,
to comfort those never to be,
a rose is envy,
green as the thorn it grows,
to give love freely as the wind blows,
a rose is spring,
blushing pale,
to make a new bud to tell its tale,
a rose is the sky,
azure as windswept heaven,
to free the soul ,flying unbidden,
a rose is a gift,
Pink and sweet,
to thaw hearts of humanity to meet,
A rose is the moon,
Silvery soft light,
to sweep lost lovers in embrace of night,
A rose is life,
budding in childhood,
in full bloom with us,
wizened with us,
and withered upon our graves' bouquet.
A lifetime is a rose,
the flowering only once.
A rose by all names,
is life itself,
so then let it be known,
life is the rose,
lovingly grown.