The Sick Rose Steaminess Rating

Exactly how steamy is this poem?

PG-13

The only reason this poem isn't rated R is that the sex in it isn't explicit; sure it's suggested pretty clearly, but one could make the case that "dark secret love" doesn't have anything to do with sex, even though there's a "bed of crimson joy" nearby. The same is true of that worm who "worms" his way into the rose's bed; "bed" is slightly ambiguous and we can never be entirely sure what is happening.