He kept his heirloom,
a silver glass rose,
yellow gold trim,
in a glass display
case, Never took it
out for fear it would
be bent, scratched,
or broken. For
years,
the
rose
felt

____________________________________neglected,
___________________________________abandoned even,
___________________________________failed to see
___________________________________the
__________________________________dist
_________________________________ance
_________________________________tothe
_________________________________hard,
_____ _____________________unforgiving
_______________________floor, the jagged
________________________corners of door
________________________________frames
_______________________________andthe jutting furniture,
_______________________________the ___unpredictability
______________________________ofthe ______boisterous dogs.
______________________________Then
______________________________one
______________________________day,
______________________________she
______________________________saw through
_____________________________ the __window,
______________________another rose,
__________________not unlike herself,
____________________being __handed
___________________________fromthe
__________________________owner
__________________________tohis neighbor;
__________________________They dropped her.
__________________________Sight, ___horror,
__________________________realiz
__________________________ation.
__________________________Hisrose
_________________________thenknew
_________________________howmuch_he loved her,
_________________________why he_ kept her, protected
_________________________her so, and she loved him so
_________________________much___more.

Who would allow someone else to borrow
his most prized possession?

Who would let his neighbor use
his most treasured gift?

Who would permit his friend to defile
his priceless heirloom?

Not my husband.