by Mary E. Lowd
I thought I was an orchid
Surrounded by shining
Gleaming
Sun-reflecting
Genuflecting
Walls of glass
Holding in the warmth
Protecting me
But maybe
I’ve never been that delicate
Maybe
I’ve always been alone
And there are no walls
To hold me in
Only concrete slabs
To hold me back
And tiny cracks
Where I’ve fought for a hold
Because the strength was always mine
And mine alone
I could have grown anywhere
I could have grown better
But I grew here
Under the battering rain of an empty sky
Against the blowing winds
I don’t know why
I had to be here
But this is my home
The only one, I’ve ever known
So, decorate the pavement
With colored bits of glass
Plant purple flowers on the bare dirt
Beside the path
And let me help
To make it beautiful
Make it beautiful
Around me
Because I am too strong
To yield
Even when it might
Be better for me