Contributor Series 10: Silken Rags
A Rose Is Not a Rose
By Rosalyn Marhatta
Her body tells stories
of warrior days;
a rose tattoo
high on her thigh
betrays her as plaid knife pleats
slide out of place
when she opens her legs
remembering silk sheets,
peacock fans,
coffee in demitasse cups.
That rose tattoo speaks
of hazy stars, martinis, a ring of gold;
the bayonet scar is the white
space on her finger
left after amputation
of her heart.
Rosalyn Marhatta’s most recent poem to appear here was Rum Dance, published as part of Contributor Series 9: If Men Had Ears and her poem Ocean Flight (April 2011) was nominated for a Pushcart.
OM Goodness, Rosalyn, the strength of this poem; the words, the rhythm, the sense of it. I so wish I’d written it. Thank you for sharing this work.
Powerful. Great imagery.
I loved this visual from the first word to the last.