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| The Most Beautiful
Flower |
 … Author Unknown.
- The park
bench was deserted as I sat down to
read
- Beneath
the long, straggly branches of an old
willow tree.
- Disillusioned
by life with good reason to frown,
- For the
world was intent on dragging me down.
- And if
that weren't enough to ruin my day,
- A young
boy out of breath approached me, all
tired from play.
- He stood
right before me with his head tilted
down
- And said
with great excitement, "Look
what I found!"
- In his
hand was a flower, and what a pitiful
sight,
- With its
petals all worn, not enough rain, or
too little light.
- Wanting
him to take his dead flower and go
off to play,
- I faked a
small smile and then shifted away.
- But
instead of retreating he sat next to
my side
- And
placed the flower to his nose
- And
declared with overacted surprise,
- "It
sure smells pretty and it's
beautiful, too.
- That's
why I picked it; here, it's for
you."
- The weed
before me was dying or dead.
- Not
vibrant of colors: orange, yellow or
red.
- But I
knew I must take it, or he might
never leave.
- So I
reached for the flower, and replied,
"Just what I need."
- But
instead of him placing the flower in
my hand,
- He held
it mid-air without reason or plan.
- It was
then that I noticed for the very
first time
- That
weed-toting boy could not see: he was
blind.
- I heard
my voice quiver; tears shone in the
sun
- As I
thanked him for picking the very best
one.
- You're
welcome," he smiled, and then
ran off to play,
- Unaware
of the impact he'd had on my day.
- I sat
there and wondered how he managed to
see
- A
self-pitying woman beneath an old
willow tree.
- How did
he know of my self-indulged plight?
- Perhaps
from his heart, he'd been blessed
with true sight.
- Through
the eyes of a blind child, at last I
could see
- The
problem was not with the world; the
problem was me.
- And for
all of those times I myself had been
blind,
- I vowed
to see the beauty in life,
- And
appreciate every second that's mine.
- And then
I held that wilted flower up to my
nose
- And
breathed in the fragrance of a
beautiful rose
- And
smiled as I watched that young boy,
- Another
weed in his hand,
- About to
change the life of an unsuspecting
old man.
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