this boy,
he saw her pastel heart
in the petals of the peonies.

he saw their love
in the blossoming
buds of a magnolia tree.

he was reminded
of her floral scent
in his mom's gardenia patches.

he saw her untamed hair
in the wildflower patches
on the walks home from school.

but darling,
he was just painting flowers
for a girl who
would never love him

and that's okay,
because flowers wither
and so did his love.