:Desert Rose
As I gazed upon it, I realized it was beautiful
The single rose growing up from the sand
Defiant color stood against the dismal sky
Amazed, I looked…I wanted…I felt…I loved.
Yes, I knew better than to claim the rose
Yes, I knew better than to even touch it
But I could stand a little way from it
And, from a safe distance, admire its splendor
But then, committing the most vulgar of sins–
I tried to share it with my closest friends,
Thinking they would understand how unique,
How rare the beauty of this lonely desert bloom.
They did not appreciate it at all–
Instead, they showed me only anger and fear.
Out of concern, they granted me a “favor”
And beat the flower back into the ground.
I didn’t know that the bloom was part of me
I didn’t know, until I was covered with sand.
Will they miss me, cradled in the choking earth–
A child in the arms of an abusive parent?
More importantly, will I forget the beauty of the bloom
Color standing defiantly against the dismal sky?
If a rose can bloom
In the hostile desert sands,
It can survive this.
