Recently someone who knew me for a long time but did not realize I was a poet, asked me where did I get my inspiration? How did I bring a poem to life? Was there a story?

The answer is simple and complex at the same time. Simple in the sense that there is always a story. This always makes them wonder – who did he write it for. And no, I always keep them guessing on that one! Complex in that the story may be taken from a personal experience; a picture in my mind [imagination],or from a desire or feeling from deep inside.

The question reminded me of the story behind my poem, Three Special Roses. I recall having been though a couple difficult back-to-back relationships that ended badly – I was divorced twice in a short period of time; not something I am proud of!

After the second one fell apart, I  became reflective – looking back at what had been with an eye on what happened, what went wrong, what I could have done differently, if anything, and what I was expecting from a relationship. It made me think about what I believed in; what I held to be true; and what I learned from my parents when I was young, when they helped form my principles.

As I traveled back in time thinking about my relationships, or any relationship, marriage and love, I thought about the images or words that describe what it meant to be in a relationship and have a partner. Being the romantic I am, the image of a red rose came to mind; a classic sign for lovers in love. The Valentine’s day gift to our special one.

I began to realize that a red rose meant more to me than a once a year gift with dinner or an apology gift. I realized that it meant much more to me. I asked, what was a rose in a relationship? It was more than a sign of love – it represented something more serious and special. It means love, trust, and friendship. When we bring a red rose to a relationship, our partner should immediately understand there is something serious happening in our relationship. In my case, she should understand the rose, or my three special roses, are an indication of how strong I feel about her and how special she is to me.

The Love rose

Always has by its side

Two roses in kind

So precious, so pretty

And equally as beautiful

These are the roses

of Trust and Friendship

She should know our relationship is based in love, the single image of the rose, but there are also other elements of the relationship that must exist for us to have something strong and sustainable. There needs to be trust and friendship. The love rose should always be supported by the rose of trust and the rose of friendship.

A relationship without trust will always be surrounded by questions, anxiety and doubt which can be silent killers to a relationship. By the same token, if we are not friends, we will not sustain the test of time once the glimmer is gone; which we know will dim some after a while.

When the sparkle dims a little, we need to survive in an environment where we are together because we love to be together. We cook, drink, laugh together, enjoy the movies, popcorn, walks in the rain, strolls around the mall on Sunday afternoon, watching a sunset, feet in the ocean, and walks on the beach for hours on end. We need to be able to hold hands, cuddle as we watch TV or read together, sit in silence, say nothing and be comfortable together or apart.

We need to be friends, trust one another and work hard to keep the sparkle. The power of Three Special Roses.