I never knew I was a lotus

by Ala Ilescu · Montreal, CA

"I never knew I was a lotus" watercolor on 140 lb paper 11" x 15". When I read Michaela's poem I was inspired to paint this. And later I used it in my book "My sad is sadder than yours". It illustrated this poem : Lotus i’m a flower bulb that was told it wasn’t meant to bloom so i never tried i dipped my world in pitch black color and shut out the sun for years i turned into the blot they reduced me to defined myself by the dirt i was tossed into my soul overgrew with brushwood and thorns like a garden that’s been neglected and forlorn i never knew i could shine through the darkness of past experiences i never knew i could rise through the murky waters and float upon the surface i never knew i could bloom untainted by the mud from which i emerged i never knew i was a lotus - not a rose i grow in different places i bloom in different ways but that doesn’t mean that i’m not worth the same. Michaela Malek