22.6.08

Old Flowers

October 2005

Once, there were some bright flowers
Red and white roses
A healthy green stem on perfect grass
The people gathered to see it blossom
The petals grew richer
The stem grew taller
The sun shone, and the birds sang.

Then, an oak tree sprouted, eclipsing the sun.
The roses wilted and bowed
The petals peeled off one by one.
People laughed and tore out its root
Threw it into the dirt and turned their backs
The flower had died, but a tear trickled down
The lifeless brown stem, into the earth.

The years passed, the winters came and went,
The oak tree stood tall, watching the spring.
As the roses grew and the people watched
The old stem appeared out from the earth.
This stem was still brown, unlike the others
And the tear was still there, but no one had noticed.

"Yesterday meant nothing to me."
Is that what your mother told you to say?
The breaking of my earth
Is that happened, you see
For what it's worth
It meant something to me.