A fledgling rose emerges tentatively from the thawing ground
catching a glimpse of her reflection in a nearby riverbed.
She becomes luminescent, haughty as she drinks in
the beauty emanating from her every pore.
The innocent purity that is imbued in her every fiber
draws the attention of others close by
unfurling within them a plague of
longing and desire too mighty to suppress.
But a veil of blissful ignorance
blinds the rose from the horrors that surround.
Thoroughly engaged in childish whimsy
she fails to notice the wolf nearby
his teeth bared and eyes gleaming
as they survey the opportunity presented.
Catching the rose in utter surprise,
he tears her velvety petals one by one
dropping them coldly and viciously on the unforgiving earth.
And there remains a once vibrantly red flower
suddenly translucent,
lying in a puddle of her bleeding scarlet hues.
