We combed through flowers 
You wanted to surprise me 
With a new one or two
 I made my way to the clearance section 
Hopeful I can take them home
Give them a name 
Breathe new life into them 
So they won’t return to 
The Death Valley from 
Which I tried to save them 
I apologized to the others 
I had to leave behind 
An ode the withering others 
Probably begging me with 
Their droopy photoreceptors 
“I’ll get you next time, if you’re still here “
I whisper to them all
Petting their leaves 
As I head for home
With their perennial siblings instead.
Driving home feeling full, 
Hopeful… yet slightly..guilty 
For leaving the others behind 
Only a true flower lovers heart
Will understand the weight 
that guilt can carry.