The Growing of ThingsWhere have my flowers gone? I left them here. Right here with their yellow petals sticking out of the dirt. The ground was so bare after the snow and the mud and the trampling children. I brought the flowers here in a basket with blue ribbons, right here, and dug my fingers into the dirt. I buried the stems so the petals would stand up, but now they're gone. I came out here to water them. I brought my book so I could sit beside them and read to them. I have a pail of water now and nothing to pour it on. It was heavy to carry. My shoulder hurts and I don't know if I can carry it back. I buried some seeds here once. I put them in my pocket and kept my hand on them the whole time so they wouldn't get lost. I brought a spoon, but I like to dig my fingers in the dirt better. It's cool under my nails. I put the seeds in the ground and I sat here all day, but nothing happened. I went to the store and asked a lady there. She said I had to water them, so I brought them pails of water. I came every day and looked in the holes I dug, but the seeds just sat there. They never moved at all. I heard a man on the street say when his dog died, the flowers grew. I didn't have no dead dog, but I found a rat in the alley. It was all puffy. I carried it to the seeds and I laid it over the holes I dug. I poured some water on it and sat here, but the only thing that happened was the bugs crawling all over its skin. It smelled real bad too, so I went away for a couple days. When I came back, the rat was gone and the seeds still didn't grow. I asked the lady at the store again. She said those seeds weren't good no more. She said maybe I can get some already grown and read to them so they'll get bigger. She said I didn't need no rat and she squinched her eyes all up. I went to the park and walked through the flowers. I was going to get some of the pretty red ones, but a little boy told me I wasn't supposed to be standing in them. He said they were prize roses, so I got some yellow ones instead. They weren't very big, but their petals were floppy. I put them in my basket with my book and brought them here. I read to them until their petals looked tired. I came back today with the water. I had to use both hands to carry it. I wore my coat with the big pockets so I could bring my book, too, only now I can't find my flowers. I'm sure they were here, right here, next to these rocks. I dug in the ground and my dress is dirty. I been looking for hours and the sun is going down and I'm hungry and tired and I don't know where my flowers have gone.  |
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