by any other name

written 3 March 2006 copyright © 2006-present James Sanghyun Han (a.k.a. steal this and DIE)


you slid me into your vase
intending permanence
and to put yourself at ease
you chose to clip my thorns

you took up kitchen shears
snipped off each dark claw
and each revealed a darker wound
where vim and steam escaped

so is it any wonder, dear
that i drank more than you could pour
and that as each day passed
my appeal ebbed breath by breath?

i'd've liked to remain whole
instead of brought in from the sun
and have you meet me on my ground
not sequestered at your whim

so don't blame me for lost color
after festering me in your jug
and don't blame me for the wilting
or the steady loss of grace

you sweetly clipped my thorns
intending permanence
and to put yourself at ease
you slid me into your vase

but i'd rather remain whole
not stripped of thorny charm
and you could drink my vibrancy
which outweighs the risk of blood

so don't excuse a lack of fealty
with the demise you have promoted
and don't feign concern for faded petals
when it's merely prelude to disposal

for if you take up kitchen shears
to put yourself at ease
where does the onus lie
when the scent is less than sweet?


Autobiographical Fun
Ganymede's Library
Ganymede's Palace