Valentine Rose
by Lisa Marie Zapata

I placed a wilting rose in a gold trimmed porcelain vase

The natural instinct of man was to observe the sacred beauty of a flower, nuzzle her fragrant essence, and clip her from her roots

A certain death, truncated potential

Meandering in decay

Surely, in her next life, she shall return to form
as a thorn.


Lisa Marie Zapata is a writer and dancer from the birthplace of Frank Sinatra and baseball. She can be found on Twitter/X @LMZzz and on instagram/pi.fyi @ellemzeee.