INNER CITY STORIES
She’s a young woman, trapped by vines
Rooted in uncertainty
A woman planted in the wrong soil
Over watered with judgement, causing her to drown in doubt
Her chief desire is finally to bloom
But she’s always been refused the chance to
A young woman neglected by sunlight
Surviving on the pity of others
Her talent and beauty withering away with no one to notice
Or care
Yet suddenly she found herself tended by a planter
A planter who is appreciative
So innocently, he recognizes her aptitude
The ability this young woman has to create and produce
With words like maximize your potential
Always remain humble
He opened a crack of light through the dark clouds
And in so little time, the sky that used to smother her now is shining
This gardener grabbed his tools
And began tugging
Pulling out the weeds of hesitation
He dug into her dried up roots
Plucked her out of acidic soil and potted her in something new
And finally this young woman has begun to bloom
With words like creativity and intuition
This planter so easily
Began to encourage the young woman
Urging her to blossom, to share her talent with other delicate flowers in the garden
Without even knowing how much it means to her
He continues to mentor her
She doesn’t know how to express all the gratitude she has for her gardener
All the young woman can tell her gardener is this:
You reap what you sow
And you have reaped a rose
A rose who will always continue with the lessons you teach her
Along with all the other roses, sunflowers, and orchids in the garden
And she wants you to know, you will be a gardener who is never forgotten
Dedicated to Dr. Walsh,
Thank you so much for helping me find my talent. Even in just the short time that you have become my writing mentor and teacher, I have seen big changes in myself, which means I have even better things to look forward to in the future.
Victoria Velez