Guard the Rose

The thorn guards the rose
The ribcage protects the heart
Did you take your blood pressure pill?
You are what I cherish

The ribcage protects the heart
Drive safely!
I know you grow weary of my words

Did you take your blood pressure pill?
Bark shields the tree from disease
Your vitamin?

You are what I cherish
and the world is precarious
Text me when you’re on your way home

Photo by amirali mirhashemian on Unsplash

Written by 

Paula R. Hilton explores the immediacy of memory and how our most important relationships define us. Her work has appeared in Feminine Collective, The Sunlight Press, Writing In A Woman’s Voice, The Tulane Review, and many others. Her poetry collection, At Any Given Second, was selected by Kirkus as one of its best books of 2021. She earned an MFA from the University of New Orleans.

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