THE FLOWER

The flower was shy and reticent
Nevertheless
She gathered her courage
And opened her petals
Releasing her glorious perfume
Into the afternoon sun
She was pleased when the bumble bee
Stopped by
And loved her
When the bumble bee left
Suddenly
And without warning
The gales came
Blowing her this way and that
Till she was bowed and bent
​​​​​Her fragile roots 
Desperately clinging 
To the soft earth
Trying to hold on
To all the pieces of herself
But her delicate petals blew away
Lost on the raging winds
Like loves promise
Like the bumble bee
When the gales ceased
The rains came
Hard and heavy
Battering and drowning her
Bringing her low down
To the ground
Defeating her
She never bloomed again
But unbeknownst to her
Some tiny seeds 
Had fallen to the soil below
Found purchase
Thrived
The next year
Several flowers bloomed 
In the exact same spot
All beautiful
All different
All the same
We never truly die.
Marion Price (2019)
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