A rose has many meanings hidden deep within each little part. The petals are as soft and gentle as a cool spring breeze, but the thorns are like thundering bolts of lightning, carelessly tearing apart things that get in the way. The green of the leaves shows the warmth and comfort of a mid-summer's day, but the red of the bloom is as dark and rich as the newly shed blood of war. Each petal seems to have a different story to tell. Some are sad and some are lovely. Some are bloody and some are romantic.

Like the rose, each little detail of our personality and our expressions tells a story. Just like the rose, the stories we tell are very different from each other. We sometimes reflect the many symbolic parts of the rose. Like the petals we can be smiling and kind and everthing seems fine, but like the thorns we can often strike out and hurt others with a single word and never think anything about it. We can have a kind, gentle touch or personality, but deep inside violence and anger are in complete control. We are all different just like the individual petals. Like the many stories behind the petals, we tell stories by how we act that are the opposite of reality. We can be in a deep, dark depression and seem to be the happiest person alive. We can have dark secrets and troubled past and seem to be the most caring and loving soul. We can seem to be in the most romantic and perfect relationship, but are in misery due to physical or mental abuse.

The rose is so symbolic that I can not even begin to put into words what it means to me. However, the human being is just as complicated, or even more so. Our personality, past, and appearance tell so many different stories that sometimes we confuse ourselves. If we are ourselves confused, just think how confusing we must be to others.

The rose is beautiful, but the thorns can do some ugly things. The colors can be warm and comforting, or they can be dark and violent. The human being can be the same way. So, what does the rose tell you? That's a hard question isn't it. So, what are you telling others about yourself?