Still Life

Thomas Kearnes

Thomas Kearnes

I still have the fake yellow rose you bought me. It was cheap and awful. Our first weekend together, you presented it from the doorway. The rose was wrapped in clear plastic. Underneath, imitation lace wound around the stem.   You apologized for it. It’s nothing, you said. I kissed you as the door stood open. Any neighbor might happen upon two young men kissing on my front porch. More often, you were inhibited.  The ferocity of my emotions disturbed you. Four years later, your fake rose stays pinned to my wall. I’ve let many men inside my home since you slammed out my door that final time, but none of them have asked about it. If one ever does, I will tell him this story. I will tell him that it’s my first flower from a boy. I will tell him it is not real, so it cannot die.

2 Comments

  1. I really love the honesty of this Thomas. I wonder if you have read my favourite poem of all time and if that inspired you? If not, maybe you and the wonderful poet Wendy Cope are kindred spirits. It’s simply called ‘Flowers’ and hers were worse than fake!

  2. June,

    I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’ve unfortunately never heard of Ms. Cope or the poem you mentioned. (I mainly read fiction…) But my next stop is Google! Thanks again.

    Thomas

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.