The Tulip

I planted a seed.
Showered it with affection...
Listened to its insecurities.
And reminded it of its beauty.
Then I waited for it to bloom.

Cultivating anything requires patience.
So I waited.

Every morning I'd greet that seed
With warmth, love and compassion.
Every night,
I kissed the ground that would bear it's fruit.

Love and patience go hand in hand.
Without one,
How can you have the other?
I reassured myself as I waited for a sign.

A sign that my efforts weren't in vain.
A sign that what I was doing was working.
Just a sign to continue.
That's all I wanted...
Then I saw it...
A little baby leaf burrowing through the dirt.

Over the next few days, a Tulip grew.
And I watched as someone admired it,
Then uprooted it.
To take as their own.
That seed that I loved unconditionally...
Never belonged to me.