Red is one color that seems to hold opposite feelings at once, and the poem is built around that tension. It opens by saying red "contradicts its self," then shows how through a series of pairs. Red looks like love but feels like hate. It smells like roses, which are sweet and romantic, but tastes like blood, which is sharp and painful.
The poem moves through the senses: sight, touch, smell, taste, and finally sound. Each line starts with something gentle or attractive and turns toward something hurtful. By the last line, red "sounds like a shattered heart," and the contrast is gone. There is no pleasant half left, only the break itself.
The speaker never says "I," but the poem feels personal, like someone who has been through a relationship where love and hate got tangled together. The mood is bittersweet and a little raw. It starts out calm and almost matter-of-fact, then darkens, ending on a quiet ache rather than an angry outburst.