A Single Rose is Survival

Thorn-clad stem extends from outstretched hand
peace offering, a symbol of old-time romance
you don’t reach out to accept, continue staring
at lucid dreamscape painted across one wall
no way to tell if it’s a product of magic or real
this mermaid staring back at you, holding your gaze
you have fallen into her embrace of gentle eyes;
evokes sympathy for the living doll above, listlessly
dancing away in her doll-sized mansion, perfect
as she always was, the role of dreams assigned
to your sole rival; still she takes the center stage,
still she steals your light and you are here, below
making silent friendships with enchanted mermaids
trapped behind thick glass, bubbles rise from kelp
lips, serene siren smile, you are captivated in this
unspoken melody reaching softly to your ears
alone-
kill your competition, it sings, and that is the
moment
you know. one of you, the doll or the firebird,
must be destroyed in order for the other to
survive.

Photo Credit: verchmarco Flickr via Compfight cc

Tianna G. Hansen

Tianna G. Hansen has been writing her whole life, specializing in poetry and creative nonfiction with a sprinkling of fiction mixed in. You can find her published works on CreativeTianna.com or check her out on Twitter @tiannag92. She founded Rhythm & Bones Press in June 2018 and continues to work for progressing the idea of turning trauma into art, which is what much of her work focuses around. Find them at RhythmNBone.com or on Twitter @RhythmBonesLit.

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Tianna G. Hansen has been writing her whole life, specializing in poetry and creative nonfiction with a sprinkling of fiction mixed in. You can find her published works on CreativeTianna.com or check her out on Twitter @tiannag92. She founded Rhythm & Bones Press in June 2018 and continues to work for progressing the idea of turning trauma into art, which is what much of her work focuses around. Find them at RhythmNBone.com or on Twitter @RhythmBonesLit.

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