Anniversary

Petals of roses litter the path, beside them, their phantom twins- once lush and as deeply red as the blood beneath my skin. Now I find them merely shriveling, as brown as the roots where they began, and as my eyes dance between them, I envision what might have been. I further inspect the room to discover I’ve become the main event. Every pair of eyes latched onto me, their assessments seeming to augment. The discomfort was admittedly disheartening so I searched elsewhere for my eyes to attend, until atop the altar, I found you glowing, a gentleman with a child’s grin. In the light you casted upon me, uncertainty melted away, and the nearer I drew, it seemed, those ghosts of withered roses began to fade. That was years ago, on our wedding day, when your love saved me again, and it’s done the same, my darling, every day I’ve had you since.