Black Orchid Poem by Liilia Talts Morrison

I bought majestic orchids
To decorate my room
Aglow in darkest purples
With satin velvet blooms

I put them in a chalice
Of purest crystal glass
Then added snowy blossoms
Collected in the past

The sight at first was lovely
An unexpected treat
Then those stark petals whispered
My Bonapartes Retreat

You were the rarest orchid
Grown from exotic soil
My pale untested spirit
Rolled quickly to a boil

You showered me with flowers
At least a thousand strong
There was no choice or option
To whom I now belonged

Yet even much prized orchids
Must wilt in jungles' press
At last our passion withered
In fires of love's excess

They are a grim memorial
Of conquest so complete
By force of man or nature
My Bonaparte Retreat.