Bush Un-Rosed
by Maggie Rue Hess
& in it’s 3rd summer
the rosebush was late
to petal
leafing abundantly,
as tall as expected
& after a few
weeks, the green fists nestled
in its bends seemed like
a threat of crimson,
of perfume
from a patch
otherwise unremarkable
from a gardener
otherwise unremarkable
& if it didn’t – this
year or the next –
if it only greened
thornily beside the house,
would you have to believe
in a different
version of hope?
Maggie Rue Hess (she/her) is a graduate student living in Knoxville, Tennessee, with her partner and their two crusty white dogs. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in The Minnesota Review, Red Branch Review, Connecticut River Review, and other publications; her debut chapbook, The Bones That Map Us, was published by Belle Point Press in February 2024. She likes to share baked goods with friends and can be found on Instagram.
