I got stopped by a little flower,
lying upside down on the sidewalk.
A Plumeria flower,
it must have fallen from a nearby tree.
I picked it up,
gently rolled its stem between my thumb and pointer finger,
observed the striking red and white lines that blend together like cookie dough. Delicate yet sturdy,
smooth to the touch.
“These are the petals,
this is the flower’s face,
this is nature’s brightest red.
I work too much,”
I said to myself.
“You are so beautiful,”
I whispered to the flower.