Petals from a Little Rose

An old busy corner, a rainy dim night.
The two standing by a broken street light.
Would you buy one? She held a red rose.
A mom and her child, a cute little pose.
A tiny thin urchin, a rose in her hair.
She stared straight at me, brown eyes with a flair.


I purchased a rose and drove on my way.
I could not resist for I remembered the day.
I married my Rose, a rose every day.
A rose for her pillow, then one for her grave.
I drove back to see that funny sad stare.
To catch some red petals she placed in her hair.
I looked in the night and drove on and on.
A drizzly street bare, my ragamuffin gone.

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About the Author

Ray spent 21 years in radio broadcasting followed by 27 years as a real estate appraiser. He taught real estate appraisal at the University of Missouri, Ozarks Technical Community College and St. Charles Community College. Ray loves writing and always has. After Ray retired he attained the Certificate in Higher Education in Creative Writing from Oxford University. Writing short stories for the Certificate was exciting especially since he was in his seventies. Since then the genre has become his obsession and he loves to write them often. His email is [email protected]

Ray Shermer
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