One Perfect Rose

Dorothy Parker 1893 (Long Branch) – 1967 (New York City)



A single flow'r he sent me, since we met.
All tenderly his messenger he chose;
Deep-hearted, pure, with scented dew still wet -
One perfect rose.

I knew the language of the floweret;
'My fragile leaves,' it said, 'his heart enclose.'
Love long has taken for his amulet
One perfect rose.

Why is it no one ever sent me yet
One perfect limousine, do you suppose?
Ah no, it's always just my luck to get
One perfect rose.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 03, 2023

24 sec read
892

Quick analysis:

Scheme abaB abxB abaB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 413
Words 82
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

Dorothy Parker

Dorothy Parker was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist, best known for her wit, wisecracks, and eye for 20th-century urban foibles. more…

All Dorothy Parker poems | Dorothy Parker Books

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