Two separated by one
one who sits alone
loves cruelest thorns
pierce three hearts
painful vines separate them

Years split away from decades
vines entangle and thicken
impossible to unwind
tiny red buds form
bloom and die

The bush grows bigger
pushing past its boundaries
hungry roots slither
beneath the fertile ground
poisonous to their prey

Just as the wandering rose
began its uncharted meandering
so too did three lovers
embark on separate paths
of intertwined heartache and joy