Wide Awake

The First Day of Snow

It was the first day of. The dainty forms of ice elegantly fell from the heavens, twirling in the cold, chilly breeze. The city buzzed with glee as people on the streets admired the innocence of the colour white. The city shown with the brilliance of the Christmas lights. The Christmas tree at every square stood tall and proud as the passers-by stopped and took their time to take pictures. The shops rung with joyous melodies, attracting customers to drop by and check out the things they had to offer.

The snow danced in the whirling wind, falling anywhere and everywhere. Within minutes, the streets were covered with snow. It seemed as if someone had painted them white. Snow fell over all kinds of things: the roofs of buildings, the trees, over the coats that people wore, the driveways and even the bouquet of roses that lay still on the bench.

Many kinds of people were on the street.

First were the toddlers. They were the ones who witnessed their first ever snow. Their eyes sparkled with curiosity and happiness as the tiny flakes landed on the tip of their noses.

Then were the parents. They held onto the small hands that meant everything to them. Not only were they happy to see the snow but also to see the happiness it brought to their children. They picked them up and placed them in their arms to give them a better view as the snow continued to fall.

Third were the young and new couples. Some were experiencing their first snow together while the others had come back to get the same feeling back when they had their first. They smiled ear to ear, showing off how beautifully content they were with each other.

Lastly were the people who were on their way home after their last day of the year at the office. They were partly exhausted and partly relieved that they were going back home. Some grumbled as the snow-flakes landed on their coats while some were smiling, thinking about the white Christmas they were getting this year.

All kinds of people passed by but none of them noticed the bouquet of roses that lay on the bench. They were vibrant red roses that now hid under the freshly fallen snow. Just a minute ago the petals were perfectly fine, proudly wearing the colour of love until the cold set in. The cold had withered them and the flowers closed on their own. It seemed to give off this lonely and sad energy as it lay still on the bench. It seemed as if love itself had abandoned it. Someone out there had bought it for some reason...probably to give it to the person they love. It had been a sign of confession of the feeling they had hidden all this time. The roses were meant to frame the perfect romance but somehow it turned into heartbreak.

Somewhere in that big, buzzing city, a person was sitting on her own, trying not to break. The person and those roses were meant to be in the same picture. The flowers were bought to be part of a memory that was supposed to be cherished for a life time but instead, they represented regret and sadness. The beautiful piece of art was destroyed. What the artist had in mind didn't come out on canvas so it was cast aside....far away....away so it was never seen again; getting abandoned was its fate. The people who passed by didn't even notice it and it just lay there, forgotten.

Was love always so harsh? Was it always cast aside like this?

A chilly breeze swept by and cleared the snow that hid the rose all along.

I picked up the roses. "They're beautiful," I said as my nose picked up the sweet aroma. Love was still present in it. That's what I saw. And like the first day of snow, it glowed. Maybe love wasn't meant to be between the two people who once met. They were meant to only cross paths. Like the delicate snow that fell from heavens oh so suddenly, love will come to you suddenly as well. The joy it brings is irreplaceable but the heartbreak is hard to forget. Like the employee who grumbled about the snow, he would probably smile once he gets home and clears his head; A new look, which was pure and innocent, would probably look good to him. That's how love is. You might as well get angry and frustrated but once you meet "the one", everything just sweeps away like the cold chilly breeze that cleared the snow. Love will come, one way or another. The roses might wither but love never will.