Once Upon A Time

Sleep Poppy (Poetry)

Once upon a time, in a land far far away there was a Poppy. Perfect and beautiful. Grown in the right environment. Cared for by the most careful of hands. But Poppy wasn't happy with the pampering, a flower trapped, not a pot of soil but a prison. Poppy watched as people came and went, all wanting to simply gaze at the beauty that Poppy was. A rare and expensive breed. Poppy's owners boasted, pompous in their creation. A flower, a beautiful untouched thing. Until him. A florist, who came with a promise like spring. "I can care for your Poppy, I have all the tools. You have cared for so long but care has made you fools. Time is no friend to a flower. No one will care for Poppy much longer. Look, don't you see, a blemish already. The soil too dry, the air much too slow. Deny me this offer and you will know woe . For I will Love Poppy, until we are both wilted and grey. In return you will live a most comfortable way. Now... what do you say?" The couple considered, but did not consider long. "Fine. You may take our Poppy but the price is not cheap. You will soon find she is not what you seek." With a grin he smiled and tossed a bag on the floor. Taking Poppy away he rush out the door. Poor little flower, all lost and alone. Stuck with a man whose care was like stone. He wanted her beauty, her perfect perfection. And so he had, had her, against her abjection. Poor little Poppy, lost and alone. Wilted like flowers her name had once sown. Plucked from the stem Poppy laid down to sleep. She realized her roots were only so deep. "How dare he! How dare he! Make me feel so cheap! I'll show him. I'll teach him! I'll kill that old creep!" So in darkness she plotted a brilliant plan. Beautiful and perfect as she had once been. The next morning she sat still, a pretty flower in a vase. He ate his morning breakfast, turning blue in the face. "What have you done to me?" He cried out in fear. "I have done nothing, To you my dear. You picked a Poppy, how pretty, It be. I am that Poppy, now do you see? Perfect and poised, but a poisonous flower. You ate my petals, but it's I who devour." His body felt heavy, he began to sway. He fell to his knees, world fading away. Poppy the Flower had put him to sleep. With this story comes a warning to keep. Reap what you sow and sow what you reap. Fight with your soul, life's a battle of will. Never back down, and never stand still. Keep moving forward, the past is the past. One blip of pain, when life is so vast. Keep holding on and you Will outlast.