What is the theme of Blake's poem?

roses do not live long
the wrong kind of love can be destructive
that love can overcome the power of evil
that invisible worms fly in when there are horrible storms

The English poet William Blake liked to play opposites off each other. He didn't have much use for the old rose symbol, so he wrote a poem about a dying rose.

The Sick Rose

O rose, thou art sick!
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night,
In the howling storm,
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy,
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.

Roses have appeared in thousands of poems. Trying to make the symbol of the rose new every time is extremely difficult. Here, the modernist poet Gertrude Stein gives her take on the famous poetic symbol.

Red Roses

A cool red rose and a pink cut pink, a collapse and a sold hole, a
little less hot.

The meaning here is not as clear.