*[Verse 1]*
Roses are red
Violets are blue
When I first saw you
I wasn’t in love with you
I noticed your shoes, your timing, the way you listened
But I didn’t fold
I didn’t keep you after the day ended
*[Verse 2]*
But now I’m undoing those words
Roses aren’t all red
And violets will never be blue—not really
They’re more like shadow, more like mood
And me? I want to say I don’t like you
Because that sounds safer spoken out loud
But I can’t deny my feelings for you
They show up in my peripheral while I’m doing dishes
***_
I tried forgetting
I went for runs with loud music
I stopped taking that street where your building sits
But my heart beats for you
Not in a movie way-in a I-notice-everything way
*[Verse 3]*
I wrote this poem
To show how much I liked you
And because saying it directly makes my throat thin
And I’m tired of being clever
So here’s the draft version, the messy middle
The part where I admit: you stick
*[Verse 4]*
Roses aren’t all red
And violets will never be blue
That’s what I’m learning about love too-it’s less category
More weather, more choosing to bring a jacket
By the time I confess to you
I’ve rehearsed it in four different keys
Please don’t hurt my feelings for you
Not my pride-my feelings
They’re new enough to bruise
_***
Roses are red, violets are blue
I wasn’t in love then
I’m getting closer now
*[Bridge]*
If you don’t feel it, I’ll keep walking
I won’t make you carry it
But I had to name it so I could stop tripping on it
*[Final Chorus]*
Roses aren’t all red
Violets rewrite the poem too
I like you
All the clumsy words for it
I like you
*[Outro]*
And yes, I used the roses line on purpose
Because sometimes simple is brave
