Broken Flower

Out of everything that happened to The Rose, it was the lack of support from The Gardener that broke her heart the most.
The Rose's petals were not intact, but they had never suffered such severe cuts in such short period of time. Used to facing bad weather and ill-intended people who would rip her petals, or try to cut her in half, The Rose had survived many challenges. Completely open to the world, The Rose was ready to believe that one special Gardener would treat her as her inner beauty so deserved: well. When the storm began and evil-minded Gardeners began to slowly rip The Rose, The Rose believed that The Gardener would protect her. She asked for his help. However, The Gardener would not listen to her. She asked for help again. And again The Gardener remained deft to her requests. While The Gardener was busy looking after other roses in his garden, the other Gardeners continued their wrong-doing. The Rose knew she could not compete with the beauty and attractives of other roses. Yet, she believed that The Gardener's heart would listen to her requests. The Rose believed so until the last minute. The Rose continued believing even after some of her petals fell naturally out of sadness for The Gardener's despise. The Rose could not give up from reaching out for The Gardener, because she simply could not believe that The Gardener did not want her in his Garden. Then a few more petals fell down out of suffering. The Rose was being ripped piece by piece from her own Garden by the ill-intended Gardeners. She fought with all her strengths, she called for The Gardener, she tried to keep her petals together. However, The Gardener was blind and deft to her requests. He simply did not hear her or understood her. He ignored her requests. The Gardener was too busy looking after his own Garden and waiting for a nicer Rose to flourish. The Rose fell ill because she had so much pain in her heart and petals. The ill-intended Gardeners took their chance with her, took advantage of her vulnerability, made her lose her colour. And all that time The Rose just kept thinking of why The Gardener would not understand her and help her. The Rose decided to move to a better place. It was a painful transplantation process. But a necessary one as she could no longer survive in the Garden where she had been planted by the ill-intended Gardeners. The Rose came to find that The Gardener had not the good heart she thought he had. At least not towards her. The Rose could never understand why The Gardener could not appreciate her and her beauty. Because The Rose could see the good in The Gardener. Ever since, two of The Rose's petals forever broke in half and will never be completely restored again. These are the petals of Trust and of Innocence. Trust in Gardeners who at first sight may seem well-intended but are really not, and Innocence as the ability to believe in good as a principle of human nature. The Rose will forever live handicapped. But The Rose will live. The Rose is broken, but is not dead. The Rose will continue battling the storms and ill-intended Gardeners with her petals open. More petals will fall, but the core will remain. The Rose will prevail.
Out of everything that happened, it was the despise of The Gardener that broke her heart the most.
- TeresaE, 2007