96.31 Red Rose: come closer, but only if you’re ready

Behold me… the rose.
Not just a flower - but a declaration.
A red so rich, so deep, it could only have been born from longing and love in equal measure. 

Each petal is a poem.
Curved. Layered. Soft as breath, yet edged with ancient knowing.
I open not all at once, but in spirals -
like trust, like healing, like love that learns to stay. 

My fragrance is subtle here, but unmistakable -
a quiet seduction that says, “Come closer, but only if you’re ready.” 

“I am beauty with boundaries.
I am softness guarded by thorn.
I am proof that grace and strength
are not separate things.” 

I do not need to raise my voice.
I bloom with certainty.
And that is enough. 

Yes, I’ve grown from thorned stems.
Yes, I’ve known drought, shadow, wind.
But none of it has dimmed me - it has only made me more whole.
Because to bloom like this… is to choose joy, again and again,
in a world that does not always make it easy. 

If you feel tender, but powerful - I see you.
If you are learning to hold your softness without apology - I know you. 

Let me remind you:
You do not have to be less,
to be loved.
You do not have to hide your brilliance,
to be safe. 

You are the rose.
You were always the rose.
And you are blooming now -
exactly as you were meant to.