Many days I walked through my withering neighborhood
Our trees looking like empty nesters, not a chirp to be heard
The closest we have to nature was a forest mural across the street
The smell of a Chinese take-out briefly filling the air, then pollution again
It was until a new tenant moved in that something somehow changed
It was subtle at first, until he caught our interest
He was always up and about, smiling and waving
And of course, he was a florist
His flowers sprawled majestically from his home to his shop
And I could swear we started seeing bees and butterflies again
The children started playing outside to catch a glimpse of his blossoms
And at night, the fireflies finally remembered to roam our streets
I used to go past his shop but today I decided to stop
Maybe the smell of roses enticed me, or the tulips that I only see on my desktop
But what caught my attention was this little dandelion peering through the concrete
As though it was accidentally planted there, but still it thrived
It fell while I was moving my flower seeds, he said
I barely noticed until it bloomed and decorated the concrete
Isn’t it amazing how flowers fight for their place in our world?
And in the end they always bloom without fear
He handed me a pot of dandelion for free and left
I smiled looking at the bright golden yellow contrasting against my muted outfit
That day I wasn’t given a token but a gift of life
Amongst ourselves even though we may not tell, he watered our wilting hearts
