Sunday, August 10, 2008

One Perfect Rose

Dorothy Parker's poems are generally in quite a different mood from Dickinson's...

One Perfect Rose

A single flow'r he sent me, since we met.
All tenderly his messenger he chose;
Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet --
One perfect rose.


I knew the language of the floweret;
"My fragile leaves," it said, "his heart enclose."
Love long has taken for his amulet
One perfect rose.

Why is it no one ever sent me yet
One perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no, it's always just my luck to get
One perfect rose.


You can actually hear Dorothy Parker read this aloud here.

More readings from Dorothy Parker at the
Dorothy Parker Society.