Rose

Roses are red

Violets are blue

I prefer roses to violets but here I am

Still blue

I thought I knew you

But the last time I saw you was actually the first time

I saw you

This is little Crystal

I saw you in the hospital recently

I had no words to say

Roses are red, you are dead

you can’t hear me yet I have so much to tell you

You met one grandchild

I have a picture somewhere

The other two haven’t traveled home that often

But I can tell them what I know

Although you’ve passed, this is what you’re passing down

Roses are read

I read your obituary

You owned business, your skills impacted the community, and your love for the family is ever present

Just like the gifts you gave for birthdays and holidays

The amount of times we drove 

from the east to west side

Your house smelled of cigarettes and flowers and something cooking on the stove

I will carry the desire to not be reached by phone if I’m sitting outside in the porch

And you passed down the torch for brainstorming initiatives 

to make sure the hood was good

I can still hear your voice yelling down the street

Asking someone if they needed something

Asking if they were okay

I always ached to instill love & purpose a in my family, students, and community

I hope that I too will be remembered for fostering belonging cuz everyone deserves it 

And maybe you’ve heard it

Maybe you’ve met my four heavenly babies

Maybe at least one is a daughter

Tell them I love them

And I’ll try not to carry that overactive mom-worry that we tend to have

On your behalf, I’ll do better to manage this high blood pressure that shed through the lineage as well

I didn’t recognize you at the funeral so I’ll keep you as I remember

There was family that I recognized and some I didn’t

Some I knew but simultaneously still don’t know 

I hope that can change

You were the only grandparent I knew

And I hope I can be a great woman like you

Whether or not I receive a rose this Mother’s Day

All Day

And for the days to come

Rose will be on my mind