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come, i invite you to look at this flower and think of Jesus. in this respect, Mother Nature is God; She uses Her resources--- the rain, the sun, the soil, the seed, to plant and grow this flower. when the flower is at its most beautiful, it is cut from the lower part of its stem at which point it then begins to die. at the eyes of the beholder, one feels joy, happiness, peace, friendship, compassion, sorrow, love---all the more, until the last of the flower's petals falls into the Paradise from which it came. ::: the arm of reflective red and white tap mechanically drops in front of the car. ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding. red lights pulse in formation. my hands slam on the rubber steering wheel. old, rusty, graffiti-slewn cars tread in a syncopated motion on the tracks--- bending metal under their chained feet. as they travel a slow drum into oblivion, i am overcome with gratitude; I made you stop, so all of this may pass. ...