Flash

A Rose in Any Other Place

a man's hand touching a rose crowing in concrete
“You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses. (Ziggy)

She bloomed in a crack of concrete, defiantly. Commuters passed, blind to her grace, but one man paused. He knelt, wept, and whispered her name—forgotten until that moment. The rose listened, then wilted, her purpose fulfilled. By morning, only petals remained, scattered like secrets no longer needing to hide.