A thorn in Rose’s side!
Dear Sir,
My name is Rose and I must say that I’m deeply hurt by the letter, “Avoid trees with thorns” (Gulf Times, September 15 ). What a cruel thing to say, I thought. But I kept the hurt I felt locked up in my heart and remained smiling, in full bloom, in a private garden near the Airport Park where the letter-writer has barred entry for plants like me.
I have thorns, I admit. That is the way I am made. I can’t help that. But I don’t harm people intentionally with my thorns. Instead I give them beautiful flowers and have been doing so for ages. Almost all gardens in the world warmly welcome my presence. But this particular writer of the letter in Gulf Times feels I should not have a place in the Airport Park. How insensitive people can be! Let them listen to what one of their own heroes has said about me: “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” The comment is attributed to Abraham Lincoln. It was by sheer accident I came across this comment. A page torn from a book was swept to my side on a windy day a couple of weeks ago. The quote was on that page. The words made me flower more!
Then the other day the Gulf Times page carrying the letter “Avoid tress with thorns” landed on my “feet” by another blast of wind. I looked down and read through the letter. Tears came rolling down from my leaves and flowers. I was so depressed. I only try to give joy to people by flowering. And this is the response I get. Then I remembered another sentence I read from another torn page that came my way a few months ago: “Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.” I had liked that sentence so much that I learnt it by heart the moment I saw that.
Please our letter-writer, please believe that I won’t hurt children at all. I like children the most in fact. I bloom for them. Please don’t bar me and my relatives from the Airport Park.
Rose, (Address supplied)
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