There's a flower by my house that sparks my attention on a daily basis. Regardless of how little rainfall or attention it receives it's one of the most intriguing parts of my day. The color is vibrant and surrounded by a town unkempt. It catches my attention immediately and makes me wonder how some humans survive life in the same manner.
A Flower In The Dark
I walk the same path every day and pass an abandoned lot filled with dirt
I watch the yellow flowers grow each spring in the rubble of what once was a home to somebody
I wonder how they continue to grow, how the petals continue to grow, through the neglect
Untaken care of and beaten down, by earth itself, but fed by a soil that keeps its heart beating
Continuing to paint beautiful bright colors of yellow and green in a field of black. Surrounded by life unbeating, but pulsating louder than a battlefield of drums.
I walk further and see a trash can filled with empty bottles of liquor.
I hear the dialogue of two strange men fighting before their slurred words echoed to shattered glass
Their muffled screams make me wonder
Why does their heart beat so hateful?
I think of the life inside the house that belonged to that parking lot
I'd like to think that there's a family in there.
one that eats dinner together and talks about how their day went
I walk closer to the bright red door and hear furniture slammed and curse words flailed
There's a family in there, but nothing like the one I expected
A little girl no older than 14, runs out with headphones in her ear while the war inside raged on
She seems disoriented,
dis-attached,
almost used to it
She doesn't come home for dinner that night
She walks around town until she knows it's safe to go back
She meets with her friends, but waves to the mailman as he walks by
She looks at the trashcan of bottles and wonders how long it'll take for them to realize she's gone
She counts the days on her fingers and takes out her headphones to admire the flowers
She feels her heart beating despite the neglect.
The flowers grow in her presence
