The most beautiful flower that ever existed was a lavender rose the size of a human heart. It was also terribly poisonous, so that all around it, the grass had turned black, then brittle, then blown away on a breeze. Admirers would come from all around and, from a safe distance, happily sketch the flower’s likeliness in colorless greys. There was one visitor, however, more determined than the rest. He stole across the moonlight, plucked the flower from its stem, and hurried home to show his lover. By dawn, both were dead, and the field was overrun with weeds.
I am a recent graduate of the University of Virginia, and an MFA candidate at City, University of London. Twitter: @_BlakeSnow