The Rose

by Jean Valentine

a labyrinth,
as if at its center,
god would be there -
but at the center, only rose,
where rose came rom,
where rose grows -
&us, inside of the lips & lips:
the likenesses, the eyes, & the hair,
we are born ot,
fed by, & marry with,
only flesh itself, only its passage
- out of where? to where?

Then god the mother said to Jim, in a dream,
Never mind you, Jim,
come rest again on the country porch ot my knees.





Last updated March 18, 2023