Flowers, by Leah Mukhtarzad
The flowers are gone now.
Petals do not negotiate with time.
They curl inward,
fade,
and surrender with colors to memory.
That is what flowers do.
Yet years later, I remember the giving,
the smile,
the thank you-
the feeling of carrying something fragile to someone who mattered.
Perhaps that is why we keep offering flowers.
Not because they last,
but because they don’t.
They remind us that beauty was never the point.
The moment was.
Leah Mukhtarzad is an 11-grade student at The Young Women’s Leadership School of Astoria. Her writing is often inspired by personal experiences, meaningful relationships and moments that leave a lasting impact. She enjoys poetry because it allowed her to transform ordinary moments into meaningful stories. Outside of writing she enjoys photography, volunteering, or working on creative projects. She hopes her work encourages others to reflect on the moments that shaped them.
— Leah Mukhtarzad
