Stainless steel marches through an ivory battleground
Red roses blossom in its wake
Thorns piercing through
Petals wilt, trickling down
Branches reach for your hand
Stitch it all together again
With lies and justification
Denial spins silky thread around you
Comforted by the safety of its web
Whispering hypocritical encouragement to one another
Fueling yourself then siphoning it all down the drain
Convinced your mask isn't see through
A smile that never falters
Vulnerability slips through ink.
Raining down
Caught in the eye of a rosey tornado
They lift off your feet
Empathizing roses
With thorns that rip stitches
Petal upon red petal
Blossoming
Reaching
Up from the precipice
Fascinated with each red petal
Your only chance
To see your true self