Along Came Rose, a Maid So Fragile and Young
/Rose, a maid so fragile and young,
found her way into my life;
like a ray of light and of love,
she healed my inward strife.
From faraway she appeared,
sage, wise, and maven;
and as she grew closer to me,
she saw in me her twin.
But from fear and from distrust
I sought to push her away:
For I feared to let her in and
let her have with me her sway.
This I did oft' now already;
but dear God in Heaven!—
by doing thus all I’ve achieved
was hurting my new twin.
Alas, alas! what have I done
to one so giving and so kind?
I'm unworthy of her friendship
and heart (one that's so hard to find).
But…O happy, happy day for me!
With her great heart and soul
she forgave my many offense
so that we may again be whole.
My comely, long and sable-haired Rose
with your apple-green eyes!
How good to me you are,—how kind,
how mild, how sweet, how very wise!
I am so honored that you call
yourself my twin and equal,
a version of me at twenty-five:—
indeed, we are reciprocal.
You have so much potential and
mastered so much, dear Rose,
that you ought not have to live
in cruel self-doubt’s shadows.
Sadly, you once said to me: “Men
like me, but I can’t see why.”
But I see why, dear Rose—for those
you love you'd give all and die.
By Ngoc Nguyen
From: United States