"Looking Closely" by Alexis, 16 | August 2020

When we look closely we see more than a yellow flower. We see water. We see the specs of green and the sparks. We see how strong it is, holding all that water that’s probably heavier than the flower. We see the way the flower is leaning, standing, growing. It’s just a yellow flower that grew in the wrong spot - in the middle of the path. I laid on the ground and looked closer and asked myself, “Why has this not been plowed down yet? Why is it still in good condition? Was it here for me to see, telling me that even though you grew different from the other flowers, you are still worth every drop of water that falls? That you are different in a good way and that someone’s going to see how your flaws make you, you?” Never doubt where you grow, never doubt how you grow, because you are you, and you have added something to this world.