a stop

in a quaint town

no crashing waves

and deep blue seas

just rolling prairie

fields of gold and green

i took a deep breath

turning a smudged key

purring engine silent

car bathed in the light

of the eastern sun

a glint of crimson

catches my eye

as pavement crunches

under my worn boots

like seashell sand

red roses climbing

criss-crossed scaffold

vine twisting

leaves fluttering

flowers blooming

like wild tidepools

away from turquoise seas

wild blossoms tumbling

like a stallion's mane

flowing freely spirited

like a rushing river

through craggy canyons

and vivid meadows

through pebbled shores

and dark woods

as wild as the sun

as wild as the ocean

as wild as our love

but i looked west

dead flowers dotted

the tangle of thorns

wilted tan petals

drifting with western winds

to briny oceans

of bittersweet memories

and i thought

is this our love

like a cracked river bed

petals lifeless

or a soft pink bud

clipped by an

early spring frost

but when the sun

shines amber rays

it'll burst open

a crackle of scarlett

this wild rose

spreading its petals

ready for life