A poem in response to a dVerse prompt; there’s a whisper of roses amidst the seaside imagery.
sea foam never tangles —
ethereal, never broken,
unlike ebb tide’s sand dollars
and queen of hearts
restless Desdemona,
mermaid’s haunting summer song,
windrush and flying thrush
amid shooting stars
i long to understand
nature’s voices calling out
through exquisitely formed blooms
and thorny perfection
across seaside,
mountain,
forest,
desert —
quicksilver blooms
beguile
while restless hearts,
stars,
and thorns
...
linger
The dVerse Poets Pub provided this prompt, asking poets to create a poem of any form using at least 5 rose names. The list that was provided is below, and the ones I used are checked:
- Afternoon Delight
- Bordeaux
- Brass Band
- Cayenne
- Desdemona ✔
- Ebb Tide ✔
- Eiffel Tower
- Golden Gate
- Mermaid ✔
- No Surrender
- Peace
- Penny Lane
- Queen of Hearts ✔
- Quicksilver ✔
- Restless ✔
- Sea Foam ✔
- Summer Song ✔
- Tangles ✔
- White Wings
- Windrush ✔
You weren’t allowed to use the word ‘rose’ in the poem and it didn’t have to be about roses, but I loved the idea of using as many of the varietial names as possible and alluding to the gorgeous and alluring flower, albeit with thorns. And Sea Foam, which is a rose I hadn’t heard of before, sent me toward the water.
I enjoyed the challenge, as usual, and the opportunity to create and share a poem alongside my photos. My favorite of our backyard roses is called Don Juan, a climber with gorgeous, sweet-smelling blooms (above and below). It would have been fun to weave together Don Juan and Queen of Hearts in the poem, but Don Juan wasn’t on the list, so he’s still out there somewhere jousting at windmills.
I was also inspired to learn about Sea Foam roses, and delighted to learn that they grow well in our area. I think there’s a purchase in my future!
©️ 2026, Glover Gardens
Lovely! I liked: i long to understand
nature’s voices calling out
Thank you! I think I could write 100 poems about longing to understand nature’s voices.
Very creatively written, after I read the rest of your post I reread your poem, a lovely way to start my day.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful perusal of my poem and your affirming words. They mean a lot to me.
Nicely done!
Thank you, Lillian!
I long to understand nature’s voices, too, Kim.
“blooms persevere,
unbroken,
while hearts,
stars,
and thorns
…
linger”
I love that. And you could have added Don Juan or others to the list. Maybe another poem? 😊
Your roses are beautiful!
I so appreciate your comments, Merril, as well as the lovely and quite open prompt.
I felt that I had written the poem too quickly last night (when I should have been in bed, TBH), so I updated it a bit and that section changed.
“quicksilver blooms
beguile
while restless hearts,
stars,
and thorns
…
linger”
I hope it is still compelling for you but would love your honest feedback.
I think your revision is a better poem, Kim. You made the contrast stronger, the ephemeral blooms that enchant, but the other things–thorns as well as stars that linger.
Understanding nature’s voice… that sounds lovely.
Thank you so much, Bjorn! I’m off to read your poem next, and I’m super-interested because I see you also used sea foam in your title.
Nature has a voice, we will hear, if only we listen ~ love your poem, Kim.
Thank you, Helen! I think learning to listen to her better is my next chapter.
A lovely mingling of scenes and images that work perfectly together as you sum them up so beautifully.
Kim, this is a lovely poem. I love listening to the voices of nature. Those fairy spirits teach us so much. I enjoyed the photos of the roses too.
Graceful imagery Kim 👏
Altogether gorgeous. (Sea Foam and Mermaids sent many of us to the water!)
Thank you so much! The water and rose seems like a wonderful juxtaposition, don’t they?