The flower does not thank the weed-eater, The one that single-handedly plucks each toxicity from wrapping around it’s stem, And choking the life out of it, Nor does it thank the weed-eater For obliterating the weeds that took root, Stealing its nutrients, Sucking the life out from under its feet, Giving the illusion of propping it up,
No, after the weeds are gone, The flower is left naked and alone, vulnerable, The weed-eater has done it’s job, And the flower is left to face the terminal heat, and the harsh drought, And on occasion,the deluge of rain, And the many, many predators who want it’s nutrients,
It’s now time, to see if the flower is strong enough to take root or if it so easily withers, The flower sways in the wind, But does not tumble, It takes in the sunshine, But is not scorched by its heat seeking rays, The flower drinks its fill, But does not drown in the tears of the collected pain of the earth,
The flower is armed with charm and beauty, And it attracts bees to pollinate, procreate, More flowers just like this singular bud bursting forth pedal after pedal proliferate, A testament to it strength and desire for survival,
Though the flower is thriving, It never forgets what it took to get there, The weeds that tried to suffocate the life before it began to really live, And the weed-eater who thanklessly plucked each thorn from its chlorophyll side
Make no mistake the flower will wither away, It will succumb to the harshness of its environment, It will be plucked for its beauty, crushed for its poisonous iniquity, or dust the earth with the fragrance of a life lived, crumbled like potpourri as mulch to nurture the essence of life again,
The dichotomy of the temporality and the eternality of this singular flower, a representation of our universal presence and placement in time and space, It begs the question why? What’s the purpose of a flower?
There are several in fact, Flowers provide clean air to breath, They provide sustenance for the birds, the animals, Medicine to heal wounds, If nothing else, the flower generates beauty, But none of it can happen if there is no one to quietly and thanklessly weed what was planted, So it can become what it was meant to be