The Question

He just didn't understand.

Why?

And it wasn't like he was young and naive - he was at least 10 days old. Practically middle-aged. Some of his friends had already started to wither. It would be his turn soon.

Maybe it was this growing sense of his impending mortality. Maybe it was mere curiosity. Whatever it was, he couldn't wait any longer. He had to know.

That morning, as they all started to file by like cattle (he wasn't sure what that meant, but he'd heard someone say it once, and he liked the phrase), he held his breath and leaned over - stretching his stem as far as he could force it - leaned and leaned until he could just feel the sun on his petals. Carefully angling his bloom, he was suddenly lit up like an impossibly tiny candle. It felt good.

The guy with the camera, of course, couldn't resist. He walked over to the tiny flower, removing his lenscap.

Hey!

The camera guy looked around, nonplussed.

Hey, down here.

He looked down at the flower.

Yeah, that's right. Can I ask you a question?

Taken aback, the guy with the camera looked around for the hidden video crew.

Look - please. I just need to know. I've watched you guys come and go down this same alley every morning and every afternoon. You change clothes, but other than that, nothing ever changes. I've talked to the bees, and the trees, and as far as they can tell, you never stop. You've been doing this same thing over and over again for as long as any of us can remember.

And none of you look happy - see, that's the thing - you look absolutely miserable as you walk down the alley, and then absolutely exhausted (and miserable) as you walk back up. And then you do it again the next day.

But why? That's what I want to know. Why? You can walk, you can move around - you've got those big machines so you can move around without even having to walk.

And yet you never go anywhere. Why? Here I am stuck in this little patch of ground for my whole life. I'd give anything to be able to walk. To explore. To see even the next block, never mind someplace thousands of miles away.

Yeah, I've heard the birds chirping among themselves - the things they describe.... It sounds like an amazing world. And yet here you people are day after day after day after-- why do you bother learning to walk, if you're never going to go anywhere?

And don't even get me started on your hands-- my god. You've got hands and lips and skin, and what do you do with them? Zip. Nada. There's this one woman who walks by every morning talking about this guy she wishes would notice her in the "office" - is that like a hive? - but what does she do about it? She just talks.

You see that little violet on the corner down there? If I had what you guys have, I'd take her in my arms right now and plant the biggest kiss she's ever seen right smack on her bloom - right here in front of everybody. She might like it, she might not - but at least I'd have done something - I wouldn't wait for maybe sometime next year if the time is right and we happen to get lucky perhaps. Like you guys all seem to do. But obviously, that's not gonna happen with me. There are a few insurmountable obstacles here - not the least of which is that I can't move.

But you humans - I just don't understand. Can you please explain to me?

Please?

The guy with the camera stared at him for a long time.

Please?

Finally, the human responded: "Ah, I -uh, umm - I, uhh-- I need to get to work."

They stared at each other for a moment longer, and then he quickly turned and walked away.

The flower watched as the man faded into the well-travelled distance.