Dear Roses,
You are an embodiment of humans
Dear roses,
It seems as though only yesterday when I laid my eyes upon you for the first time. I remember it was my parents’ wedding anniversary; my father had taken pains to get a bouquet only from that particular florist five miles away. I did not understand the fuss behind it; a bouquet is just a bunch of flowers and natural things like flowers had nothing to do with the owners — it depended upon how it was nurtured. My father just smiled and nodded and asked me to wait until I saw it with my own eyes.
As soon as we entered the shop, the florist smiled at us and went inside to bring the specially designed bouquet my father had asked for. And there it was, a bouquet of roses. The moment I set my eyes on those fresh flowers, I fell in love with them. Those roses were in perfect pink; not too light, not too dark. A bunch of around 10 flowers was neatly bundled together and wrapped in a plastic sheet. The florist handed the bouquet to dad and dad asked me to go ahead and touch those flowers. They had a soft, velvety touch; my heart felt lighter. In a world where red rules the love kingdom, pink roses became a symbol of love for me.
Not too long after, I began going to school. I was in kindergarten. A shy kid by nature, I chose a perfect desk, near the corner of the classroom, by the window. The school had a huge garden and there was a rose plant right next to the window of my seat. This plant had yellow roses. Every day, I would look at the flowers and feel a strange sense of happiness. It was friendship day. The girl who sat right in front of me observed what I did every day and got me a yellow rose from the plant, and offered it to me, as an invitation for a friendship. I happily accepted it and made a friend. That one yellow rose earned me a best friend for life. And for me, the yellow rose became an embodiment of friendship.
A few years later, I attended the first wedding of my life; my aunt Sarah’s. she looked adorable, wearing a white gown and a veil. Uncle Mathew was waiting for her at the altar, holding a bouquet of white flowers. I was surprised; for white was a dull color and why would one have that during their wedding. Mom explained that white symbolized purity, innocence, and eternity. That made white a perfect choice for a wedding. And for me, the white rose symbolized marriage.
And now, I am here, walking down the aisle, holding a unique bouquet for my better half. He takes a look at it and smiles; it had a collection of pink, yellow, white, and red roses. Pink; because I loved him, yellow; because he was my best friend, white; to mark our wedding and red; my personal touch to symbolize the presence of my heart.
Thank you, dear rose, for teaching me to add value to each of my relationships and feelings. My mind and heart made me feel, yet it helped me add meaning to it and convey it properly to the people concerned. Probably, you are the only flower that adds value to every human emotion. You represent us, humans, in a way; living inside the thorns of our boundaries for the fear of being hurt. And we let ourselves become vulnerable to the people who are brave enough to sail through the thorns and reach us. Thank you, for existing and adding meaning to my life.
From,
A girl named Rose.
(Thanks Vashni Stories for the prompt that inspired this letter)
