“Flowers remind us that sometimes
the most beautiful things
only last a short time.

They help us to recognize beauty
and enjoy it before it’s gone.

Don’t be sad for your flowers,
remember how they brightened
these last days of winter,
and how their smell
filled our apartment
with a hint of the coming spring.

Remember the man at the market,
and how your smile
brightened his day.

And in the morning, after breakfast
we’ll go out across Fourteenth Street
and buy another.”

That is what I wish I’d said
when my young daughter asked me,
“Daddy, where did my rose go?”