I bought majestic orchids <br />To decorate my room <br />Aglow in darkest purples <br />With satin velvet blooms <br /> <br />I put them in a chalice <br />Of purest crystal glass <br />Then added snowy blossoms <br />Collected in the past <br /> <br />The sight at first was lovely <br />An unexpected treat <br />Then those stark petals whispered <br />My Bonapartes Retreat <br /> <br />You were the rarest orchid <br />Grown from exotic soil <br />My pale untested spirit <br />Rolled quickly to a boil <br /> <br />You showered me with flowers <br />At least a thousand strong <br />There was no choice or option <br />To whom I now belonged <br /> <br />Yet even much prized orchids <br />Must wilt in jungles' press <br />At last our passion withered <br />In fires of love's excess <br /> <br />They are a grim memorial <br />Of conquest so complete <br />By force of man or nature <br />My Bonaparte Retreat.<br /><br />Liilia Talts Morrison<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/black-orchid/
