Written in advance of International Women’s Day (March 8), this poem by Cathy Xinman reawakens the classic image of the rose, imbuing it with the blood of the times and the depth of literature.
A rose drifts through love, through loss, through time. Crimson and wine-coloured, delicate yet enduring, it sails across waves and seasons, carrying whispers of hearts and gifts freely given. Cathy Xinman’s poem traces its journey—its beauty, its silence, its mortality—and invites us to witness how love persists in a world of turmoil.
Step into the rose’s world, where every petal holds a story, every heartbeat a quiet revelation, touched by sorrow and grace.
The Rose Doesn’t Know
by Cathy Xinman
In the rose’s love
everyone sees its crimson,
like the blood of this age—
the sweetness of wine, the eternal woman.
Even the gods believe its heartbeat.
It longs to sail the seas, to love.
Who knows if the surging waves
will bury it?
In the tender heart of a gentle thief,
Shakespeare is his rose.
It wants to praise what was stolen,
the hearts taken by success.
It is not love’s burial gift,
fit only to be cut, kept by water.
Who will guard the war, the sea’s sound?
Every year at this time, more petals open in the water
Whether you love or not
It still gives.
Humanity keeps passing it on.
It never bears fruit.
All who love it can see
Its life and death, carried by humanity and love.
It is silent
Yet it knows how beautiful the world is.
That is all it can see.
International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world on Sunday (March 8).
Cathy Xinman writes poetry in English and Chinese. Find her English-language collection, Where You Love Yourself, on Amazon. You can also hear her poetry on her TikTok page. The Toronto Spark is on Bluesky @torontospark.bsky.social.
