Poem: "The Rose That Grew from Concrete"
Jul. 9th, 2023 10:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithThis poem was written for Prompt 3: Bluebell / Lavender Rose in the ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sunshine_challenge. It also fills the "copper" square of my 7-1-23 card for the Fireworks Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Eloquent Souls.
"The Rose That Grew from Concrete"
[Sunday, July 9, 2023]
The girl in the contemplation garden
slouched against the lamppost.
She wore black clothes with
a black cap, and a long chain
draped against her leg.
She looked like a tough girl,
but she also looked exhausted.
Straightening, Pavel Krupin put down
his copper weeding fork and went
to see if she needed anything.
"What are you looking at?"
she snapped, and he could feel
the shift and glister that her Words
brought to his hidden soulmark.
"The rose that grew from concrete,"
Pavel replied with a warm smile.
She really did remind him of
city flowers, how they sprouted
wherever they could and grew
in spite of the difficult conditions.
She looked like she had survived
a lot of difficult conditions herself,
and she wore her tough-girl image
like the thorns defending a rose.
"Hi, I'm Pavel," he said, then
took off his denim jacket so he
could show her the soulmark
with her Words over his flowers.
"I'm really happy to meet you."
Sighing, she shrugged out of
her black jacket to reveal
a lavender rose that had
his Words along its stem.
"I'm Hana," she said. "I
really just came here to find
some peace and quiet."
"We have that," Pavel said,
waving at the church garden.
"I don't even believe in love at
first sight," said Hana. "I mean,
how could you love someone
without even knowing them?"
"What an interesting question,"
said Pavel. "I never thought
about it like that before. I
suppose you're right. Would
you like to talk about it, or get
to know each other, or just
sit here quietly for a while."
"Quiet," Hana said, and she
sounded as tired as she looked.
"Okay," said Pavel. "There's
a bench a little farther back."
She looked at him. "How did
you know exactly what I need?"
"Well, you told me, and a lot of
folks come here needing peace,
and you look worn out," he said.
"I volunteer as a gardener, but
I take care of people too if they
seem to need some attention."
He led the way to the copper bench,
tucked away in a hidden grotto.
Hana sat down in one corner,
looked at the opposite corner,
and then looked at Pavel.
"Am I invited?" he said.
"If you don't talk my ear off,"
Hana said, and patted the seat.
Pavel sat down without a word,
and enjoyed the opportunity
to listen to her silences.
* * *
Notes:
Pavel Krupin -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and curly brown hair cut short. His heritage is American and Russian. He speaks English and Russian. He is 22 years old in 2013.
Pavel lives in Portland, Oregon. There he volunteers at his local church, tending the contemplation garden. That's where he met his soulmate. His soulmark (inside his left forearm, above a sprig of bluebells and lily-of-the-valley) from Hana Moore reads, What are you looking at? Her soulmark (inside her left forearm, along the stem of a lavender rose) from him reads: The rose that grew from concrete. Pavel is quiet and humble, and he enjoys taking care of people as much as plants. He prefers outdoorsy menswear, mostly in shades of brown and gray, sometimes accented with red or blue.
Pavel Krupin's soulmark (inside his left forearm) from Hana Moore reads:
(above a sprig of bluebells and lily-of-the-valley)
What are you looking at?
Hana Moore's soulmark (inside her left forearm) from Pavel Krupin reads:
(along the stem of a lavender rose)
The rose that grew from concrete
Hana Moore -- She has fair skin, almond-shaped brown eyes, and long straight brown hair. She is tall and slim. Her heritage includes American, Japanese, Korean, and a little Chinook. She speaks English and Japanese. She is 23 years old in 2023.
Hana lives in Portland, Oregon. She grew up in rough neighborhoods and typically dresses like a tough girl. Seeking peace and quiet, she wandered into the contemplation garden of a local church. That's where she met her soulmate. Being demiromantic, however, she didn't believe in love at first sight. So he agreed that they could take their time getting to know each other. Her soulmark (inside her left forearm, along the stem of a lavender rose) from Pavel Krupin reads: The rose that grew from concrete. His soulmark (inside his left forearm, above a sprig of bluebells and lily-of-the-valley) from Hana Moore reads, What are you looking at? Hana wears tough girl clothes, mostly in black or white.
Hana Moore's soulmark (inside her left forearm) from Pavel Krupin reads:
(along the stem of a lavender rose)
The rose that grew from concrete
Pavel Krupin's soulmark (inside his left forearm) from Hana Moore reads:
(above a sprig of bluebells and lily-of-the-valley)
What are you looking at?
sunshine_challenge. It also fills the "copper" square of my 7-1-23 card for the Fireworks Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Eloquent Souls. "The Rose That Grew from Concrete"
[Sunday, July 9, 2023]
The girl in the contemplation garden
slouched against the lamppost.
She wore black clothes with
a black cap, and a long chain
draped against her leg.
She looked like a tough girl,
but she also looked exhausted.
Straightening, Pavel Krupin put down
his copper weeding fork and went
to see if she needed anything.
"What are you looking at?"
she snapped, and he could feel
the shift and glister that her Words
brought to his hidden soulmark.
"The rose that grew from concrete,"
Pavel replied with a warm smile.
She really did remind him of
city flowers, how they sprouted
wherever they could and grew
in spite of the difficult conditions.
She looked like she had survived
a lot of difficult conditions herself,
and she wore her tough-girl image
like the thorns defending a rose.
"Hi, I'm Pavel," he said, then
took off his denim jacket so he
could show her the soulmark
with her Words over his flowers.
"I'm really happy to meet you."
Sighing, she shrugged out of
her black jacket to reveal
a lavender rose that had
his Words along its stem.
"I'm Hana," she said. "I
really just came here to find
some peace and quiet."
"We have that," Pavel said,
waving at the church garden.
"I don't even believe in love at
first sight," said Hana. "I mean,
how could you love someone
without even knowing them?"
"What an interesting question,"
said Pavel. "I never thought
about it like that before. I
suppose you're right. Would
you like to talk about it, or get
to know each other, or just
sit here quietly for a while."
"Quiet," Hana said, and she
sounded as tired as she looked.
"Okay," said Pavel. "There's
a bench a little farther back."
She looked at him. "How did
you know exactly what I need?"
"Well, you told me, and a lot of
folks come here needing peace,
and you look worn out," he said.
"I volunteer as a gardener, but
I take care of people too if they
seem to need some attention."
He led the way to the copper bench,
tucked away in a hidden grotto.
Hana sat down in one corner,
looked at the opposite corner,
and then looked at Pavel.
"Am I invited?" he said.
"If you don't talk my ear off,"
Hana said, and patted the seat.
Pavel sat down without a word,
and enjoyed the opportunity
to listen to her silences.
* * *
Notes:
Pavel Krupin -- He has fair skin, brown eyes, and curly brown hair cut short. His heritage is American and Russian. He speaks English and Russian. He is 22 years old in 2013.
Pavel lives in Portland, Oregon. There he volunteers at his local church, tending the contemplation garden. That's where he met his soulmate. His soulmark (inside his left forearm, above a sprig of bluebells and lily-of-the-valley) from Hana Moore reads, What are you looking at? Her soulmark (inside her left forearm, along the stem of a lavender rose) from him reads: The rose that grew from concrete. Pavel is quiet and humble, and he enjoys taking care of people as much as plants. He prefers outdoorsy menswear, mostly in shades of brown and gray, sometimes accented with red or blue.
Pavel Krupin's soulmark (inside his left forearm) from Hana Moore reads:
(above a sprig of bluebells and lily-of-the-valley)
What are you looking at?
Hana Moore's soulmark (inside her left forearm) from Pavel Krupin reads:
(along the stem of a lavender rose)
The rose that grew from concrete
Hana Moore -- She has fair skin, almond-shaped brown eyes, and long straight brown hair. She is tall and slim. Her heritage includes American, Japanese, Korean, and a little Chinook. She speaks English and Japanese. She is 23 years old in 2023.
Hana lives in Portland, Oregon. She grew up in rough neighborhoods and typically dresses like a tough girl. Seeking peace and quiet, she wandered into the contemplation garden of a local church. That's where she met her soulmate. Being demiromantic, however, she didn't believe in love at first sight. So he agreed that they could take their time getting to know each other. Her soulmark (inside her left forearm, along the stem of a lavender rose) from Pavel Krupin reads: The rose that grew from concrete. His soulmark (inside his left forearm, above a sprig of bluebells and lily-of-the-valley) from Hana Moore reads, What are you looking at? Hana wears tough girl clothes, mostly in black or white.
Hana Moore's soulmark (inside her left forearm) from Pavel Krupin reads:
(along the stem of a lavender rose)
The rose that grew from concrete
Pavel Krupin's soulmark (inside his left forearm) from Hana Moore reads:
(above a sprig of bluebells and lily-of-the-valley)
What are you looking at?
(no subject)
Date: 2023-07-10 05:21 am (UTC)There is a rose in Spanish harlem,
A red rose up in Spanish harlem
She's growing in the street, up through the concrete
It is the special one, it's never seen the sun
It only comes out when the moon is on the run
And all the stars are gleaming
It's growing in the street
Right up through the concrete
But soft and sweet and dreaming
Thank you!
Date: 2023-07-10 05:29 am (UTC)Re: Thank you!
Date: 2023-07-10 06:01 am (UTC)Summer nights with songs like that coming out of the AM radio in the car...
(no subject)
Date: 2023-07-11 02:07 pm (UTC)