Poetry Pleases: Study In Scarlet
"Rose of the curb side, I see you go on your terrible nightly quest...'' Merle Parkin's poem concerns what some call "the oldest profession''.
Rose of the curb side, I see you go
On your terrible nightly quest
To offer your wares in the city streets,
While work-a-day women rest.
Clothed in the hues of a jungle flower,
Luminous in the gloom,
Painted as though with a palette knife,
Exotic, nocturnal bloom.
You wax in the light of a neon sun,
And prodigal perfumes strew
To draw every drone to your petals’ fold,
Ere you fade with the morning dew.
Ah, blossom of lamplight, your scarlet shame
Would a wearisome burden be;
But I bless you for making the streets more safe
For ordinary folk like me.
