There is a flower garden filled with beautiful flowers

that make it seem to overflow.

There is a legend to this garden

about an orchid and a weeping willow.

The orchid was planted in the garden

beside a gentle rose dressed in soft peach.

Each day the rose grew toward the heavens it seemed to long for,

but could not reach.

The orchid awoke with the birth of the morning

and slept with the close of the day.

It bathed in the soft rain,

and basked beneath the warm sun's nourishing ray.

As the orchid grew stronger,

so did its' love for the gentle peach rose.

As the seasons circled,

the orchid flourished in the spot of the garden for which it was chose.

Then one afternoon

the orchid noticed the petals of the rose had begun to fade.

From the stem of the rose were drooping leaves

where there were once straight blades.

The orchid had never known darkness

could fall during midday's sunlight.

Not until the rose was stolen from beside the orchid

before the hour of one lonesome twilight.

There had yet to be a moment that felt so befitting

as when the orchid felt drops of bitter rain.

Only then could the orchid discreetly release the tears

forced from relentless pain.

The orchid cried out the hurt believing none could see,

and none would know.

However, the orchid could not mask tears

in the rain from a weeping willow.

The weeping willow whispered,

"Dear orchid, you cannot hide your tears from me.

I have wept my own tears into the rain

as you can plainly see.

There is one lesson that I have learned over the years

that I will share with you.

Fate will fulfill itself;

there is nothing you can do.

Your rose protected you

until you were strong enough to be on your own.

Now that you are, your sweet rose left the garden,

but your rose is not gone.

For in your precious memories your rose will forever live,

though I know it is not the same.

Most importantly, you must remember

your rose was only borrowed, not yours to claim."

In the wise words of the weeping willow,

I hope you will understand what I know to be true.

We cannot hold on to what is not our own,

and your rose was only borrowed too.