The Death of the White Rose

Having reached 30,000 words into my story I have decided to give it a more allegorical name. The poem, "I Cultivate a White Rose", is a clear description of José Martí's hopes for his homeland. It is as follows:

I cultivate a white rose
In July as in January
For the sincere friend
Who gives me his hand frankly.

And for the cruel person who tears out
the heart with which I live,
I cultivate neither nettles nor thorns:
I cultivate a white rose.

The poem is an expression of a Cuban version of the Golden Rule. Martí was a man of peace. A leader of the Cuban independence movement against Spain, he wanted to establish unity amongst the people of Cuba, through a common identity, with no regards to ethnic and racial differences. Today, Martí's dream has yet to become a reality.