They met one picturesque afternoon.
‘Twas early summer, I pressume.
At the Paradisal Gardens, all festooned
With an air of opulence and the perfume
Of concentrated Rose Attar;
 

He was a prestigeous gentleman
Dressed in fine attire
A man of the highest echelon
One might find in the pages of Esquire;
 
 
 

And she,  a simple belle,
Tall and elegant and lean.
A very exquisite and unique girl.
She wore a dress so tight and emerald green
Her skin so soft, her cheeks all rosey!
 

She stood there by the white-picket fence
On that warm sunny afternoon
And as he walked by he was smitten  by her radiance
and he knew that on that picture-perfect day in June
He would lose his heart forever!

All he knew of life and love seemed  so infantile
Till this day when he marvelled upon  this stunning work of Art.
He was captivated by her smile...
So hot like the sun that it melted his heart
And made his mouth thirst for more...
And thus began the budding romance between Rose and Theadore!

A perfect couple they were...
A match made in heaven no less!
Overjoyed by each other
They remained in a beatified state of bliss;

Yet when joy is at its greatest
The heart puts love
To the highest test....
A simple test so easy, yet so tough
To prove true love’s endurance;
To see if it will last!

Thus Theadore was sent upon a mission
And had to leave Rose far behind.
Her heart was broken
As was her shattered young mind,
But she fought off tears as she waved her beloved goodbye;

The years went quickly by
And Rose’s beauty has slowly waned
Her color has drifted from her face and her eyes
Bare many furrows, yet she cannot complain..
For in her heart and soul does lie
The portrait of her Theadore..
And his image keeps her young and supple!

He, an older man, warn out by life’s bitterness
No longer young and handsome he seems to struggle
Inspite of all life’s turbulance.
With the aid of a cane he walks on and on
An endless journey
 

And in his travels  he began  to wander
Through many familiar venues.
His mind began to ponder,
If this was dejavu...
When his heart failed him so suddenly
Many years ago one picture-perfect afternoon!
His eyes, two pea-like slants caught sight
Of a formless shadow
Drawing nearer he could see to his delight
It was his Rose...the lady of his heart which long ago
He left behind to pursue an aimless quest

His heart still beat with a mighty zest
Like a frightened bird
Beating against a cage within his chest..
And kneeling beside her,
He embraced his beloved in a warm embrace.
He found her a frail figure
And her beloved face
Pale with a ghostly sheen like a wounded dove.
His  heart could hear her undying spirit yearning deep within
With a passionate rage, defying  all  but love
Yet in his eyes he saw her as before...
A raging beauty in all her splendor..

As he scooped her dying body off the barren earth
Drawing her near to his chest, kissed her lips
Whilst she took her dying breath!
 

Mary Gonzalez (c) 2000