our love was so much

like a red rose in full bloom

until the petals

dried up and fell down, leaving

our souls exposed to the cold

- There are over 200 species of roses in the world. Thirty five of them are found in North America. Roses are mentioned in every poetic work since the dawn of civilization. They have a variety of meanings from love and desire (red),  charm and innocence (white), to infidelity and jealousy (yellow). A single rose symbolizes simplicity, while a withered rose symbolizes reproach and fleeting beauty. In Greek mythology, it is said Chloris, the deity of flowers, created the rose with the help of other deities when she found the dead body of a lovely creature. During the War of the Roses (1455-1485), the white rose was the emblem of the House of York, while the red rose was the emblem of the House of Lancaster.