Red Roses

I gave you roses red, and you, 2You thanked me in a true friend’s way. 2And smiling, let their petals lay Against your breast—you never knew!

I gave you roses red, and you, 2When they were withered, let them go 2To all the cruel winds that blow: You thought them dead—you never knew!

I gave you roses red, and you, 2You thought them proffered by a friend, 2And wore them once; that was the end; They cost me twelve! You never knew! Richard Stillman Powell