‍Author's Note: My name is Aj Rodriguez. I attend White House High school and my favorite subject is English! After high school I’d love to attend NYU or Swarthmore in the future, joining the creative writing program and eventually becoming an author! I hope you enjoy this poetic piece.

Everyone has had a rough day

A bad day at school, your shoe got a scuff on it, your boss denied your PTO, you had a fight with your friend, your pet just died, I was drowning in depression.

Some even have a rough life

Drug addiction, abusive parents, homelessness, isolation, mental illness, I had relationship toxicity

But still, people try to make this life as beautiful as they can with what time they have

They wake up and choose to be happy

They choose to smell the flowers

They choose to give those flowers to people who may need them

They lay the flowers at the graves of those laid to rest,

Whispering small ‘I remember you’s to the seemingly forgotten

They go back at the end of their long, grueling day and water the bulbs of the flowers they picked before

They go to bed and hope they wake up again to smell those flowers and to help others smell them. 

My mom picked those flowers for me, my dad did too. Their fragrance came in strong whiffs I did not want to smell.

I hope one day I can help others smell those flowers,

Because at one point I needed someone to help me too.

Editor's Note: Thank you to Mr. Hilliard and White House High School for encouraging students to submit entries. It's in the writing that we find our individual voices and it's in the reading that we connect with one another. We at Stay Positive News are thrilled to highlight these young artists!