To Fall In Love

Flowers bloom, petal by petal
on Earth's edge, radiating love
that whispers sanity and a
seductive aroma that attracted
all who dared near the cluster
of roses, bearing thorns that
leaked of enchanting toxins
that lulled many to their death,
happily.

Enticed away from the
rehearsed perfection of
heaven, I observed soddenly
as petty humans fought
tooth & nail to die in that
cluster of doomed love
and fragrant scents, a smile
on their face.

But I watched too intensely,
for as I bent to catch a whiff
of the seductive essence of
that cluster, I leaned too far
over.

And I fell,

Only to land on a zephyr of
delighted butterflies, their pixie
dust stinging on my skin,
and if men gave their lives
to feel this bittersweet, I'd
give my eternity to repeat
this fall.

Author's Note

Photo courtesy of theultra of Deviant Art (click the link for more lovely photos!).

Reviews

[paul sal.....]

Beautiful poem that lends itself to many interpretations as evidenced by the other readers so here's my take: the roses on the end of the earth are the Sirens of Athemusa who almost lured Odysseus to his death with their alluring song. The speaker is Atehna on mount olympus who is curious about the shallowness of men . The speaker would gladly give her heart to a man if he would appreciate her inner beauty instead of thinking of her as a sex object. Her fall from olympus(ian) grace would then be worth it. Or something along these lines................

[Tai Ryens]

Attributing anything to Greek tales is always a lovely thing to see, and spotting a slight Greek influence from this piece was certainly very perceptive of you. Thank you, p Salinger, always a pleasure to hear from you.

[Riley Bray]

Your words continue to enchant me, Taité! I am not sure if this was your intention but I imagined you were speaking from the point of view of Lucifer, and how the blood shed from the humans fighting below peaked your curiosity so that, like a child leaning over a railing at the zoo, you fell over and found that the grass was greener on that side. Haha its an obscure thought but that's what I see. I love your writing so much! Honestly if I could pick one writer to become famous on here I think you'd be my first choice. Good write Taité keep going!

[Tai Ryens]

I'm flattered, Riley, dear heavens. You've made my day.
And that has yet to even come into my mind, interesting . . . I never actually looked at this from a biblical perspective, to be entirely honest, and now that you mention it, it does bear similarities to the fall of Lucifer. Thanks for pointing it out!

[Bluefire]

Wow, an amazing way of putting such a thing as falling in love. I like the imagery of this piece.
Very well done!

[Tai Ryens]

Thanks muchly, Blue.

[Bluefire]

No problemo. =o

[Baby Ricochet]

"A zephyr of delighted buterflies?" You've been reading Frieda P's stuff. Not bad Tai but not my favorite of yours

[Tai Ryens]

That's certainly so! Aha, that gave me quite a giggle. Thanks, Baby R, always a pleasure to have you review my content

[Pax]

“To Fall In Love”

The title is really catchy, I think it will draw an attention to those who seeks how to fall in love. How does one falls in love, is it by physical appearance or the beauty within that is hidden…

In your perspective my friend, you painted the words in dark yet beautiful imagery. I believed that, beauty is what makes us fall either in doom or “to land on a zephyr of delighted butterflies”. They say love takes risk, and it is true. To be accepted and be loved by the rose, you’ll need to surpass the thorns.

if men gave their lives
to feel this bittersweet, I'd
give my eternity to repeat
this fall.

The ending is quite beautiful, a perfect way to release the feelings of being in love, and what it is like to have tasted both, bittersweet.

I really adore the piece my friend, keep it up!

[Tai Ryens]

What a lovely interpretation, thank you! Always great to see your thoughts, friend.

[Pax]

welcome my friend, anytime :)

[Frieda P]

A zephyr of delighted butterflies, now this is my cuppa tea alright! A different kind of love poem, but I'd expect nothing less from your pen Tai ...oddly stirring, you've pen'd a delight.

[Tai Ryens]

Always great to see you 'round, I thank you kindly, Frieda.

[Frieda P]

This was a real pleasure to read, I enjoyed it muchly Tai.

[Vian]

Ah, your 'zephyr of/delighted butterflies, their pixie/dust...' ha ha ha, it so beautiful and then you tell me of the sting on your skin and the lives given. Love is such a remarkably delicate thing yet it ensnares the soul to utter devotion. I wonder what your 'death' is? The death of a single soul, for now the two are bound as one? The death of the freedom? The death of the mind that now bows to the heart's every whim? Perhaps the death of goodness and kindness. That is what death I see borne from love. For, when a human turns his eyes on one being and vows to do all he can to appease him, the world around is lost and they truly will fight 'tooth and nail.'

I can say, without having ever fallen, that I would not wish to succumb to the love. That I don't want or need such a frivolous thing. I can't say what I would do should I fall. You paint a beautiful picture and the truth you've seen seems quite unbearably enticing.

[Tai Ryens]

It never could have been said any better, I view it quite similarly yet I wallow in hypocrisy, for I do fancy myself quite a self-destructive fellow.
Always great to hear from you, I adore your interpretations, they're very intriguing. Thank you!

[Avery]

Lovely poem first of all, I could see the roses in their clusters and how tempting it was from the "rehearsed heaven". I read the poem twice after seeing the title was "To Fall in Love" as I would not relate the poem with love at first. Upon second reading, I think I understood the metaphor if that was your intention. Correct me if I'm wrong. The speaker in your poem was lured and caught too close that even he would surely give his life for the bittersweet love so many had been heartbroken from before. Well written. If it were my poem, I perhaps would not structure it as you did so and go for something that would, yes, make words stand out as they should but also read well in the tongues and minds of those who chance upon your poem. There was a slight choppiness on first reading, especially in the first stanza.

Thanks for sharing,
Sheri

[Tai Ryens]

All critiques taken into account, I thank you kindly. My writing has gotten a bit sloppy, for this is the only poem I've written in a month and a half. Your critiques are highly appreciated, thank you, once more.
Yes, you've certainly captured part of what I've attempted to portray, however vaguely. Your interpretations are closely treasured, once more, I thank you.