I am a Rose

I am a seed.

I sit on the top of this pile, in this overcrowded market for farmers. Baking under the sun...frozen by the bitter wind. Being sold for a couple of rupees, along with hundreds of others just like me...I'm not worth even a single rupee. I am expendable...replaceable.

Devoid of water, I am dry as sand...lifeless. Hard on the outside...i feel indestructible on the inside. How foolish of me.

Carried across the land...not knowing where i was born...not knowing from which womb was i stolen, i am thrust into the cold earth. It feels like home...strange. Carefully placed into the dirt like a little baby...i am buried. Am i dead?

No! I am not dead! I am alive! Alive as any one of you! Alive as everyone of you!

I am strong! I am brave! I have a right to live! I shall break my prison and rise through my grave... back into the light where i belong. I shall not crumble and decay...i shall not be swallowed by worms...i shall not be forgotten.

This is my resolve. This is my destiny. I talk to myself...comfort myself...encourage myself as i rise through this cold earth...unconsciously drawn upwards...into the light. Oh Lord...give me strength to break this coffin. As i break through the surface...i feel the wind...i feel the sun...i feel alive. I spread my green leaves...and i Breathe.

I grow more each day. Higher towards the sky..towards the sun. I change...i grow leaves...i grow thorns. I resist the wind...the water...the dry heat...just to understand what i am. When the time arrives, i tear open my skin and spread my heart out to the world...my red...beautiful...soft...heart. With each day, i grow more...my heart grows...only to be cut away!

For you i shall give up my life. For you will abandon my home...my abode...my self.
Don't cry for me...for i shall bring a smile on your face.
Don't reject me...for i shall bring love into your world.
I shall say what a million words could never have...
So keep me close to your heart...because that's where i belong.

I sit on top of this heart...in this overcrowded world of lovers. Shining under the sun...tickled by the breeze. Being given to a loved one...i am invaluable. I am the only one...worth giving a life for. I'm unforgettable...irreplaceable.

I am a Rose.

Happy Valentines Day...to everyone. :-)