The Sick Rose Bracelet

I have been thinking back to my school days recently and of the poem 'The Sick Rose' by William Blake which my friend and I used to love.  

We didn't study it in class - which is probably why we actually liked it !

I think we loved the poem because of the way that we found it.

It sounds rather poetic in itself, but, one Saturday afternoon shopping trip we randomly found ourselves in an antique book sellers. 

We rummaged around until we came across a rather dusty old  book shelf right at the back of the shop.

Resting on the shelves were some of the most amazing old books. 

The sort that are bound thickly in leather with gold writing and gilt edging to the pages. 

We took one off the shelf and flicked its pages tentatively.  

The Sick Rose by William Blake was the poem that we read in that book shop, that Saturday afternoon, all that time ago.

In typical teenage fashion we left to go to Macdonalds (!) and poured over the meaning of the words we had just read. 

Over a strawberry milk shake of course! 

We thought it was a very dark and almost gothic  poem being set in a howling storm and talking of a 'dark secret love'.  

Even though the illustration is quite colourful, I wanted to make something that has a bit of a darker feel to it, because that is the feeling we took from the poem. 

Time has moved us on, and we live far, far, apart from each other now but

the great thing is we are still friends all these years later. 

I think I will send her this bracelet, as a suprise, through the post.