9 A Rose on the Pillow

I wake to a rose on the pillow
its fragrance greets me
like an old trusted friend
I drink in the mixture of its scent and his
and drift back to last night
reveling in the warmth of his body
as it curls next to mine
I'm torn
between dragging the rose to my nose
or burying my face in the pillow to explore his scent
I settle for the rose
his way of saying thank you
and more
we have many of these
little gestures
our own special language that gets us through
all of our ups and downs
he takes off his tie and sticks it in his jacket pocket
to tell me he's been thinking of me
he brings me a beer when he means to say he's sorry
and kisses me like a thirsty man when he forgives me
he traces "I 'heart' U" on the palm of my hand
and on the small of my back
so many tiny little signs that are solely ours
that the outside world cannot understand
I breathe in the scent of the rose
and wish that they all could see
I want to shout it from the roof tops
and post it on billboards
I want them to feel the strength of our love
but I know that will never happen
because I wake to a rose on the pillow
and she wakes next to him

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this creation was inspired by Jingle Poetry's Poetry Potluck [Languages, Signs, and Symbols].  the picture of the rose popped into my head almost immediately, so I went with it...where it lead was a bit unexpected, but that seems to be happening to me lately...