So true that fear denies us much joy and revelation! But "blood on that thorn", it seems, is the price for being human. But I know your meaning here, as it relates to the previous stanza. And it's a brilliant last four lines, "If I didn't leave/ My blood on that thorn/The dream of a rose/ just might have been born." Truly beautiful...
Lin
Regis
PS: It's nice to read you again.