A Black Rose

~ Frank Solanki

A black rose blooms under the sun

In a garden with all the pretty red ones

Blessed with thorns a-one too many

While the others hardly had any

A man walking past the garden said

“Is that rose alive or dead?

Does it even matter though?

Why was he born? Would God even know?

Or would he?”

Hey, black rose. You’re as good as a dead man would be to me

…

The black rose wished he was in some other land

Where other black roses would call him a friend

And sometimes he wished he was all alone

The whole world, then, could be called his home

Everyone told him that he must change his skin

If he were to fit in their rosy team

He must change and mend his ways

Or be prepared for harder days

As they foresee

Hey, black rose. You’re as good as a dead man would be to me
…

He never listened to anyone and went ahead and led a lonely life

Pain and sorrow sought him like a butcher seeks his knife

While the red roses led jolly lives and had a merry time

And they grew up quick and strong. Happiness was their crime

They said they cared about him, as it goes

Even though he wore a black sheep’s clothes

But he refused to believe their words, as it went

The odds were changing each and every moment

Daily

Hey, black rose. You’re as good as a dead man would be to me

…

Now, on some terrible lonely night

He did see his final light

He went back out just as he had came

Lived in misery, died in shame

And then at the heaven’s gate

He found out that he was a little too late

The gates had been tightly shut

Only the doors of hell await

For him and for me

Hey, black rose. You’re as good as a dead man would be to me

Published by Frank Solanki

Making the world a better place one poem at a time.

66 thoughts on “A Black Rose”

  12. As a teenager, I loved black roses, or any dead ones. My room had dried up flowers all around it.
    I’d forgotten about that time, so Thank You for posting this. I yearn for the nostalgic.

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  15. A very sentimental poem. Unlike the fairy tales, your ending sounds like the broadway show “Into the Woods” that give unconventional ending to several fairy tales.

    I have been doing gardening for years and have books on roses. I always want to see a black rose, or black roses. As for life, I taught for 15 years before entering school administration for another 10. My first student I referred to for GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) was a student from Jamaica. Then all of her sisters were also in the GATE program. Since it runs in the family, the last sister didn’t have to be tested to get into the program! It takes effort, faith, believe, persistent, and attitude to go against the odds. My favorite quote is here for you ponder:

    “The longer I love, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church….a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”
    ― Charles R. Swindoll

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    2. You are welcome. Take your time to go through the twist and turns. Like all plants, grow where the sun draws them. I feel like I was growing toward the sun also until I came out of the wood. Visit a couple of my blog posts such as “5th year in remission” https://theshowersofblessing.wordpress.com/2014/08/01/remission-5th-year-anniversary/, and “New Normal.” https://theshowersofblessing.wordpress.com/2016/08/01/new-normal/. Will remember you. Hope for the best in your days to come.

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