Roses for the President

Roses for the President

Roses for the President

You may recall, Mr. President,
The incident in the square.
Perhaps, you would tell us about that.

When I die, the President declared,
Lay me out in the garden
So that I may taste the roses.
I have always been partial to roses
And once knew a girl
Who wore nothing else.

I have forgotten her name
And I have no memory for faces
But I do remember the roses.

As to the incident in the square,
Which you have mentioned many times,
I have no recollection of that.
It was probably raining
And people protest, largely,
Because of the vagaries in the weather.

The roses smelled sweet
I remember that –
And she was remarkably tall.

Of course, that particular incident
May not have taken place at all.
Have you considered that?
So many things are illusory –
The keening of snow
The endless dreamings of the heart.

She lay face down in the rain
The roses covered her
I remember that.