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I Never Promised You a Rose Garden

Member since 2004 · Posted 1 Jun 2006 · Edited 17 Jun 2006 · 8 comments

Pick a petal Watch it fall One by one All for all Play the game An empty stem The answer known He still loves them A broken flower Still bears thorns A rose is lost A garden born Crimson lawns Remind one thing From dark November The light of spring

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mean 5.67 weighted 5.08 rank 6439 views 271 View voting details →

3 votes so far. Yours would make 4.3 votes so far

8 comments

[8] amanda_dcosta 2-Jun-06/5:54 AM Reply

I bet you know this one...

"I beg your pardon,
I never promised you a rose garden
along with the sunshine
you're gonna need a little rain sometime."
(Song--Rose Garden by Linda Anderson, or so)

[n/a] oneglove › amanda_dcosta 2-Jun-06/9:22 AM Reply

actually i didnt know linda anderson sang it, it's been covered by others though. this is about the slaying of 6 priests, their maid and her daughter by the government in el salvador in 1989. there is now a rose garden planted in the field where they were lined up and killed. the contrast between the red rose petals and blood stained lawn really struck me.

[n/a] Niphredil › oneglove 17-Jun-06/2:14 PM Reply

Wow, then I was way off the mark. I thought it had to do with some kind of rejected love... a little too obscure, perhaps you could clarify a bit? You've got a lovely concept there.

[n/a] oneglove › Niphredil 19-Jun-06/2:36 PM Reply

well the flower symbolizes the ideals of the movement, that those with the ability to speak out against opression had a responsiblity to. the petals symbolize the martyrs. they all gave their lives for all of those without a voice. though the men of faith were gone, God still loved the oppressed and the November murders were the beginning of the end of the war.

[9] Ranger 2-Jun-06/11:17 AM Reply

This is strong although the rhythm is interrupted in line 8 and the final two lines. Perhaps:
'He still loves them'
'From dark November/The light of spring'

[n/a] oneglove › Ranger 17-Jun-06/6:41 AM Reply

excellent suggestions, consider it changed.

[9] Ranger › oneglove 19-Jun-06/11:36 AM Reply

And it has thus gone from being a good poem to being a very good poem. I think maybe you'd get the reading you want if you linked an online resource with the story behind this, then we'd make the connection. Top stuff though.

[n/a] oneglove › Ranger 19-Jun-06/2:26 PM Reply

http://library.spc.edu/mark/elsalv.html

theres a nice little summary there along with lots of links that i didnt look at but if youve got time to kill, enjoy!