A Rose By Any Other Name

1

Carolyn was broken,
pieces scattered around her bedroom,
her bedroom filled so with things,
so many things that you couldn't see the bits of her.
And she would sit
in the piles
of the things,
and for hours,
cut herself smaller,
smaller like
to disappear.

She had a long name,
like in a story,
and she wondered if she could be a story
like her name.
And so she wanted,
and so she wanted,
and so she was.

2

Emily had a great day once.
It started with a nervous breath
and ended in secret, like
a slipping away.
She found colour this day
like it had never existed before.
She found autumn leaves
on long winding country roads
and fresh,
salty breezes
from snow
over the ocean!
And it bursted
like RED
from black on white
and she was overwhelmed
to say the least.
"Throw open your doors," she cried,
"and greet the dawn!"

3

Joan moved away
to Colorado
looking for God and the mountains as well:
flat tires, coincidence, and lilies in tow.
And there's a lot to learn
about Joan.
She swam in karma,
she did!
And she took it down.
And she loved so hard
so hard that it hurt,
but it saved her!
And when she would lie at night and stare at the stars,
making wishes,
and find herself
fraying at the edges,
her heart heavy
like a water balloon,
dangling in her chest,
she would trace the lines on her skin
and find pride.
And being robbed blind
was nothing,
nothing,
to tarnish being given a life to live
gloriously free.
And so all of her dreams came true.

4

Heather dances always in gypsy dresses at the edges of your vision.
Someone you long to love,
she remains elusive,
and wonderful,
and bright.
Just knowing she's there
makes it irritatingly impossible
to have a bad day.
She lives
in a long-distance relationship with the world,
and it's appropriate;
for she might cast unintentional shadows
if she brought her light too close.

5

Augustana dreams of breaking hearts like summer winds,
but settles instead for
sculpting love
and edging her toe into the door to music instead.
Dabbler in everything,
master of nothing,
and loving every minute of it,
she remembered a girl she knew once,
and meditated on it for a moment.

6

Carolyn
is
better,
pieces in place,
only slightly precarious,
like a puzzle you've memorized:
it wouldn't take too long
to put the pieces back together,
should some great earthquake
cause them to fall apart in front of you.
Calm,
save for fits of
indescribable joy
which occasionally plague her,
she gives love.
She is love,
and a long name,
like honey on a hungry tongue.




Written Washington 2011