Thank God For Rose Petals! Poem by Denis Martindale

As a child, I made a perfume bottle using fragrant rose petals.
It didn't take long, so I was glad about the result.
The time passed, and I forgot about the perfume bottle I had filled.
My teenage years were almost over when my first date arrived.
Here was an opportunity to use my garden's rose petals again.
The fragrance was a gentle reminder of my childhood years.
I applied the perfume to the clothes that I wore rather than to my skin.
Not too much and yet enough to stay pleasant for the evening.
My date noticed the fragrance and came up very close to me.
So close that I could easily have kissed her, courage permitting.
Instead, I waited to learn if she approved of the fragrance or not.
She loved it, but then again, who wouldn't?
I offered to make a few bottles for her, and she was thrilled.
Thank God because her smile meant so much.
It said more than her spoken words could ever have expressed.
When she smiled, I knew that she was the one for me.
The rest, as they say, is history.


Denis Martindale, for the 7th of September 2024.