more & more

little Maureen was blessed with a beautiful garden

guarded within four walls of a white picket fence

and filled with all the foliage and flowers of the world

it was a haven that subjected much attention and envy towards the girl

but she didn’t care much for shrubbery

because as beautiful as her garden was

enjoying it all alone felt well... 

rather lonely

she offered her flowers eagerly 

to anyone that stopped to smell them

and pretty soon the blossoming scenery

made Maureen’s presence quite welcome

the children ran around wearing lavish flower crowns 

and she’d bounce with glee every time she had company

but as they asked for more and more to put in their hair

Maureen’s garden started to become more and more bare

soon she couldn’t give as much as they asked

but still she plucked every last blade of grass 

in order to please them

in order to plead to them 

to not leave her alone again

one day a snake snuck into her garden 

ravishing her most precious greenery

leaving Maureen in mourning 

yet the other kids showed little sympathy

they asked why she was so distressed

they stressed that she was asking for it

she was always giving her flowers away after all

they kept taking her flowers after it all

until eventually she’d given all she could give in a lifetime

and eventually they stopped stopping by

she buried herself in the remaining dirt and sulked

but like all resilient flowers hidden in the mulch

she rooted herself in the ground until winter passed

then bloomed into a strong beautiful woman at long last

when she reawoke she was determined to cherish and empower

and started right away on replanting her flowers

she paved the ground with her newfound wisdom 

planting seeds of hope, kindness, and optimism

as time went on she grew happy in isolation

accompanied by the comfort of her hobbies and creations

she discovered being alone wasn’t the same as feeling lonely 

then came the note

delicately placed in a tiny potted plant left at her door

greetings he wrote

I admire your strength and would like to get to know you more

with kind regards signed Maurice

a real sweetheart to say the least

it was the boy next door

who spoke words of admiration about... 

her

he valued her for the contents of her brain

not only those found amongst the terrain

every Maureen should settle for nothing less than a Maurice

because every Maureen deserves someone that encourages her to grow more and more at the very least