Student Publishing Program ::

Sarah H.

The Drooping Rose

A rose stands alone
in a magnificent jar
that is much too vast for her.

A flower that used to reign above all the rest
is now left in the darkness of the smoky lounge.

Casting but a meek shadow along the sleek painted wall
A shadow of only a weary stem clinging to her once splendid petals
that have become dried out and lost to the world.

The thorns that once stood majestically against the hardships of the night
Have lost but all of their unique flavor
No longer there to cradle this lover’s dying elegance.

Drooping helplessly at each unwanted tip
and only aging dull and lifeless.

Dull to those who once paused, greedy to grasp her gift in their thirsty hearts
yet even more pitiful to her simple self.

The shadow merely awaits its final curtain in complete solitude.
Stretching across the careless wall
her lingering illusion tries to capture one last pure moment of life.

A delicate reminder of the indefinable beauty
That is no longer there to provide solace in a life of such enlongated troubles.

[TABLE OF CONTENTS, LHS CLASS OF 2009 EDITION]