The Rose & The Boil

author’s note:

Gertrude Stein said:
“A rose is a rose is a rose.”

I say:
Don’t be so sure.


THE ROSE & THE BOIL

When by chance I saw my reflection...

the shock caused me to wonder
if I might be beautiful--
after all, I’d often been shocked
by beauty.

But as I examined the mirror
I noticed a red boil festering
on my chin.

Shocked again!
Repulsed!

Yet curious
about that hideous thing
simply because it seemed
so hideous.

But viewed at close range
the protuberance reminded me
of a red rose in bloom.

And why not?
Both red boils and red roses
seem so vibrant with life.

But in short time, I felt I’d seen enough
so I stepped back
and the sudden shift caused me
to see myself with new eyes:
my face now seemed strange
and a little grotesque
due to its strangeness.
Ugly as a boil.

But now you know a boil is rose
I told myself.

However
I did not really believe me.

So I satisfied myself with a truth
clear to see:

whether rose or boil
or a combination of both
that face of mine
was vibrant with life.

Soultime: a novel
© 2021, Michael R. Patton