A ROSE AMONG THORNS*

All I ever wanted to be

is a rose among thorns.

A glimmer of hope and

love amid the waste.

I was never meant to walk

in detritus, defoliant and dung.

I just want

that cobblestone street

where church bells are rung.

It's not in my nature to be

just a face in the crowd.

I never wanted to be

just one of the guys.

I'm not.

I never was.

I'll never be.

This is me.

My petals are too red

and smell too nice.

My wings flap too fast

and can elude

a million mice.

I close my eyes at night

and see a rose

growing too fast for

the thorns to pierce it.

I'm one in a million.

I'm unique as a unicorn.

I'm special as a snowflake.

I am me.

I'll always be.

*inspired by the song of the same name, adapted from "Gabriel's Oboe" by Ennio Morricone