Salvaged Red Carnations

The wilted carnations we rescued from the florist's dumpster have undergone a renaissance: now unfurled in orbs of vibrant red, their slender green stems crossing in a tall vase in my room.

I did not expect this revival; I pulled them from the trash out of habit and empathy, sad to witness the end of their intended life. And I kept them to remember you -- an homage to a friend I've loved since childhood.

I expected swift decline: further wilting, broken stems, a dulling of colour -- but now, days later, they are stronger than before.

I never expected them to bloom, but they are blooming.

And you and I are blooming too.