A pink rose and yellow roses arranged in a bowl of apples and avocados on a wooden table, photographed in warm light as part of a reflective Wild Hours essay on the rose and the thorn.

The Rose and the Thorn

Earlier in the day, Wendy, a woman I had just met, told me that whenever she goes on family holidays she likes to ask the grandchildren after the holiday has ended, “Now tell me, what was the thorn and what was the rose?”

May 28, 2026