The Proud Flower and The Lowly Grass

The valley caretaker was very surprised to hear the flower carry on with its bragging words, and then heard the grass reply, "That is true, we are only green grass and we do not possess the splendor or beautiful colors that you do. But this is one reason we are so happy that you have been planted here among all of our endless green and we hope that you will greatly multiply! So perhaps we too, the lowly grass, will always be able to enjoy your beauty."

The caretaker laid back in the grass, now very interested in listening to this most surprising conversation. The flower raised itself up to its full height, which was considerably higher than all of the grass, and continued to boast of itself. "Yes, I am very wonderful, and my colors are most brilliant and I am gazed upon by every bird and bee that lives in the valley. My beauty is greater than your simple green and your plainness is rather dull next to me. I am so much taller than you and my colors can be seen from across the valley, but you can not be noticed because you are so low and all of you are just a common insignificant green!"

At these words the grass swayed in the wind and bowed its head in sorrow, for it knew that it was far short of the beauty of the flower. It was true, the grass knew that it was only plain and had no special colors which gave it distinction, so the valley of grass bowed down and hung in sorrow. The flower stood tall, swaying from one side to the other as it smiled and beamed in its glory, while the grass wept in its lowly place.

Then from everywhere, the wind heard the grass crying, and asked why it was bent over so low, weeping sadly? The grass answered sorrowfully, "Like the pretty flower said, we the grass are so common and simple and have no real beauty to our existence…at all! We are so common and nothing could ever really appreciate or think to admire our simplicity."

The wind suddenly rose up in anger and asked the grass, "Who ever told you such an untrue thing?"

The grass with long drooping words, hesitantly said, "The new splendid flower spoke all these things to us and told us of its glory. And that we were surely nothing, and we had no importance whatsoever to our existence!"

After hearing this the wind gathered itself and swirled around and around. Then in its motions it spoke loudly unto all the hills saying, "Yes grass, you are made very simple and your colors are few, and you are not elegant in comparison to this flower." The wind blew harder, lifting up the ears of the grass, swishing and tickling the fields while continuing to speak, "Yes, green grass upon these hills, you are so unadorned but you will never know how important you are. You are so rich and so refreshing, especially against the vast sky and distant mountains. And without you this land would be barren, dry and filled with thorns and there would be no joy for me, nor a place for ONE flower. For I love to swoop down upon you and rush across the fields and gather up your scent and carry it far to those who can only dream of such green!"

The wind rushed again, back and forth across the hills declaring, "O green grass, yes, your colors are few, but Oh how beautiful your many greens are in spring, blue and yellow in summer and golden, bronze and red in autumn! You are the carpet that Angels walk on! You are the finest velvet on the garments which cover the earth in her glorious radiance and your green is seen from distant stars!"

The wind continued to sweep over all the hills and through the valley in its gentleness, singing, "You catch and drink in the rain and hold it through the seasons, protecting the land, the hills and the earth! You refresh the sky daily and renew her breath with your sweet fragrance and your the pleasure for so much life! What would all the birds and deer do without you?"

The wind calmed and the hills grew quiet as the grass thought upon these words, and the wind spoke again, "Even though the flower is beautiful in color, remember always that you are beautiful in so many other ways and pride itself can never know your beauty! For you are loved by all the peoples of earth, by every creature that walks and by each bird that flies in the sky! Your green is precious to all life and this earth would be desolate if your green were ever to vanish!

So no matter what prideful colors might tell you and no matter what they boast of, your simple green is the most beautiful scene that touches both the earth and the face of the sky! You are not only lovely, but you are highly cherished by all of nature."

After this, the wind then swirled around the proud flower and laid it low as it spoke, "the flower has its own place and also carries with it a portion of beauty but the grasses loveliness is also special and very necessary! So never again be fooled or shamed by prideful words, for those words will eventually be turn to dust!"

From here the wind settled into its many places but the flower went on and continued to boast of its magnificence, even though it had heard the voice of the wind. It was still pronouncing out its words of self glory, when there appeared an old ugly cow upon the hill, just like the flower had spoken earlier. The cow was munching its way along the hill when it came to the gurgling spring, where the flower was raised up high above all the grass.

As the old ugly cow chewed up the tender lush grass, it was drawn to the flower. The cow's eyes shifted from the grass to the stem of the flower and slowly followed it up until it came to the most curious clump of color. The cow's nose tickled the big yellow blue flower, sniffed the colorful bloom, then grunted with a careless snort.

The flower was now crying out with much fright, "Please do not hurt me you big ugly cow, go eat the plain grass but don't you touch me, for I am beautiful, can't you see?"

The old munching cow just stuck its head back into the thick green grass and went on eating, as if it had never heard the pleas of the tall proud plant. Without a care in the land, the cow wrapped its long tongue around the stem of the flower and without a MOO, pulled the colorful boasting bloom into its mouth! Then and there it patiently chewed the proud flower into pulp! Suddenly, the old cows eyes rolled over twice and its face twisted in all directions, it kicked up its back legs twice and snorted, as an ugly sting filled its mouth and it knew then, it had tasted the BITTERNESS OF PRIDE! Then with one great gulp, the prideful and boasting flower disappeared down into the old munching cow, never to be heard of again!

The old cow just wondered on, eating its way over the hill and disappeared beyond the view of the caretaker, who just lay quietly, watching. The colors of the grass were stirred again by the wind and there was no trace, that the flower had ever been, but the grass grew everywhere. Soon all the grassy hills were touched by the whisper of the wind, that the flower had been turned to dust just as the Wind of the valley had spoken!

The caretaker arose and walked down to his flock and once again, the valley began its long wait for another flower that might share its beauty in meekness, while the grass grew greener and greener. The whole valley waited patiently for another season, hoping, that beauty, the next time would learn and not be so PROUD!

Contact Author at:

michael@ticktalk.net