IN WANE

I am fading 

My petals supple no more 
An old rose past its prime 
Drooping a bit 
Cracking at the edges 
Its softness 
Devoured by hungry time 

I wonder 
Whether the imminent decay 
Would repulse you 
If you might chance upon me 
Some future day 
Would I be a ‘has been’ 
Not worth another glance
Or would you still see
Beneath the browning layers

The bloom of yesterday  

Would your mind's eye decipher 
The notes, that I'd kept 
Safely tucked away

Within my core 
Would I still be a rose

Lending its fragrance

To the hand that touches it

Forevermore

MS