Come to me, my curious children Gather ‘round the firelight Lend me your hearts as well as your ears As I whisper of a young couples plight
He laid pink roses by her side To be there for when she would wake A silent reminder of what he said An apology for his sake
Their perfume filled her heart Before she realized his gift At once she broke into tears Because she thought they began to drift
He felt her sorrow and his guilt He wanted her to forgive his sin But it did not matter what he said Because her heart he could not win
She was hurt and forlorn Unable to trust her love once more She wanted to hide from all the pain She receded to her room and locked the door
He sat outside her window Refusing to take his leave He wanted her forgiveness He wanted her to believe
"I would never hurt you" he said Her only response was "You did" "I’m ever so sorry" her true love did claim "I will do whatever you bid"
With tears in her eyes and anger in her heart She opened her window wide to yell "Be gone from my sight and my world, I bid you, go to hell!"
It was then his turn to cry his tears As he turned away She knew that she had spoken ill But what else was she to say?
He disappeared from her world As his love had told him to He tried to find the gates of hell And soon they were in his view
She could not take it anymore And set off to find her true love In attempt to heal both their wounds And again be pure as the dove
She found him at the gates of hell Begging for his entrance "She told me to come and so I did!" In a voice that had changed since his absence
His eyes were red, filled with pain His voice hoarse and broken He moved as if dying The reason remaining unspoken
"Oh my love, what a fool I’ve been!" She shouted from her hiding place She ran to him as quick as she could Feeling safe again in his embrace
They wept in each others arms Until it was time to go For they always had what they wanted Little did they know
By the time they returned Her vase was tilted The flowers had died Each petal crumpled and wilted
But it did not matter The roses had not survived As long as they had each other Was the conclusion upon which they arrived
And that is the story of a maiden so fair And her love both bold and devoted "Love lasts longer than a rose" Or so I heard it quoted. |