A Rose is a Rose

Leo Lawton

July 12, 2015

From the rose’s POV

            I was told that I developed from a bush that grew somewhere in a land far away, but I do not actually remember this part of my life.  I seem to vaguely recall being inside of a bulb of some sort called a rose hip, but that may be my imagination.  I sort of think my bulb was sliced open by a human who removed me and all of my siblings from our snug home.

            The first thing I’m really sure of was someone trying to drown me.  Someone laid all of us on an old board, and said they were washing away pulp, whatever that is, but as far as I’m concerned there was a lot of water involved, and I was unable to breathe well while under its influence.  I believe it was called waterboarding.  Next I was treated to a warm bath in hydrogen peroxide to help me ward off molds which they said might destroy me.  I suppose this was necessary, and a good thing.  At least I wasn’t freezing like I was in that water torture treatment.

            After we all were removed from the hydrogen peroxide we had a bleached look.  That was different, but next they put us on a damp paper towel and placed us in a refrigerator for several weeks saying it had something to do with simulating winter conditions, whatever that means.

            After this rather chilly experience we were finally brought out into the sunshine again.  I much preferred this, no matter what was going to happen next.  Hanging out in a dark refrigerator is no fun at all.  I began to feel sort of different one day, and looking down I saw I had a tail beginning to grow.  When my human noticed this I was stuck in some dirt with my tail pointing downward.  My tail kept getting longer and spreading out into a root system.  Twice I was moved from my original dirt to ever larger pots.

            Then my forever home human bought me from the nursery where I was brought up.  He was so gentle as he took me for a ride to our new home.  On a beautiful sunny day, the kind I really love, Carl planted me in mother earth at our new home.  The soil was rich, black, and full of good stuff for my future growth.  I grew well all summer, and as fall approached I presented Carl’s mother with two beautiful small roses.  She was awestruck with our beauty.

            Shortly thereafter the air began to cool nights to where it really wasn’t all that comfortable, but I heard my humans talking about something called winter, and remarking how it was supposed to get even colder.  Sure enough, those humans were right.  As the temperature got down to where the dirt was turning solid I decided to go into hibernation.  I fell into a deep sleep.  I hardly felt it when a large animal came along and ate my top off.

            While I slept the days began to lengthen and the temperatures began to moderate slowly day by day, with a few backslides.  I began to awaken from my deep slumber to note that my entire top was missing.  It hurt something awful as the rest of me began to die.  “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.”

            Hold on!  I feel a stirring in my roots again.  I’m returning to life.  I feel the sun on my tender shoot that it rising.  My leaves are beginning to sprout again.  Oh my, I’m getting taller again.  I wonder if I’ll return to life as before.  I was so happy in my new home before the winter came.  They have named me Phoenix for some reason known only to them.

Look, look, I’m so happy I’m going to grow another prize for my humans.

Oh my, a young feathered beast decided I looked like a fine place to land, but I was not strong enough yet to hold its weight.  My spine snapped half in two.  Oh, this hurts, but one of my humans is trying to make it better.  He has placed an extra piece of branch along side of my splintered member and is taping it secure.  That removes some of the pressure from my wound.