The roses have died
and they won't come back
My power is tied
to my emotions
and I can't think
straight enough
to get it to work
The roses will stay dead
these 12 year old roses
that never died before
given to me
those years ago
by the one
who killed them now
as a symbol of love
the night before
but 3 months later
he left me saying
to get out of his life
all because

my stomach had
begun to swell
and now he had
My little girl
claiming that
he had the right
to take her away
when he had
rejected her
all those years ago.

He won't let me
have her back
my little child
only 15 years
younger than me
she's been all I've had
after my parents
made me leave
because of her
but we survived
and now she's gone.

I put my hand
on the dead roses
the ones I kept alive
just for my daughter.