A Thorny Question
I was thinking about the song "Spanish Harlem" where he sings "I'm going to pick that rose and watch her as she grows in my garden" and have always thought that if he really loved the Spanish rose he would leave her to bloom rather than take ownership of her by putting her in his garden. That led me to wonder why roses have thorns.
Do roses have thornsOr do thorns have roses?Which came first? I wondered.The rose - sublime, bewitching,Each petal enfoldingItself round the other,Like some loving motherProtecting her young.Sweetening the airWith her mulled perfume,Coaxing bees to batheIn her sensual pollen. But her beauty is her downfall,For in budding prime, Thieves plunder her blossoms,Entomb them in crystal vases,Where they wither, droop,Slowly perish,Dead petals fallingOn unyielding cloth,Robbed of their rightful placeIn wind and rainAnd sunshine. To protect her precious offspring,The gentle mother rosebushGrew savage sharp thornsOn toughened green stems,A warning to robbers“Approach at your perilIf you steal my blooms,You will pay dearlyFor looting my life’s work.I’ll tear at your flesh,You’ll cry out in painAnd I’ll water my rootsWith your blood.”