[dVerse] May 5th - Names I Did Not Answer To

Names I Did Not Answer To

By midnight,
all my old selves had gathered
outside the locked door.

Restless came first,
barefoot, carrying a suitcase
full of unsent apologies.

Then Ebb Tide,
who knew exactly
when to leave a room
and make it look
like drowning.

Desdemona wore white,
not for innocence,
but because grief stains better
on honest cloth.

No Surrender laughed
from the staircase,
mouth full of thunder,
heart full of municipal paperwork.

I almost opened the door.

But Peace arrived late,
as usual,
with cold hands
and no explanation.

Behind her,
White Wings folded themselves
into the corridor light.

And for once,
none of my names
asked to be forgiven.

They only stood there,
breathing,
as if survival
was also a kind
of fragrance.

~ Oizys.

Used prompt names: Restless, Ebb Tide, Desdemona, No Surrender, Peace, White Wings
Avoided word: rose
Written for dVerse Poetics - “Names of the Rose,” May 5, 2026. The prompt asked us to use at least five names from a list of rose varieties, without using the word “rose.”
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