Roses

Years ago I gave mother a prime spot in our yard to do as she pleased and she planted roses which she tended with great care, with our father's help. She loved her roses so much that she sometimes referred to them playfully as "her other daughters". In the last few years I've pruned the roses as she watched and directed me. This is a painful process because she was meticulous and it took a lot of time and pricks by the thorns. Yesterday was a beautiful day and I decided it was time to tackle the job. I asked her to come outside and direct me. She was not interested.

I was angry as I clipped and pruned and her "other daughters" bit my arms with their thorns. I decided to cut them way back, much more than my mother would have allowed when she cared. Who cares if they don't come back, nobody cares now. It felt good to hack at them. What's the use of trying to preserve something that no longer matters? Maybe I'll pull them all up and plant something else.