Digging Up a Rose (from We Are Phoenix)

I love this poem because it’s true. I also love it because it’s so relatable. Human beings can be forgotten, and considered worthless. We have all, at one point or another, been the ones at fault in this, and we have also been the ones tossed away and forgotten. Human beings are not disposable or specifically replaceable, and the resilience that this poem teaches us is that even when left behind, humans can find the strength and the determination to endure, to grow.

Musically, there’s a bittersweet sense in the harmonies here, a contrast between a minor longing and a beautiful arrival. These two senses move back ond forth, building toward a grand opening up on the word “bloomed.” Human beings are marvelous creatures. We fall down and get back up again. We face opposition, and our minds immediately start searching for a way around. Or over. Or through. We reshape our surroundings, redefine ourselves, and forge a path forward. And yet, it’s easy to forget this capability. There are moments when everything is too much, when we can’t see around or over or through the obstacle.

But in those darkest, lowest times, we can look to nature herself as a mirror of our own existence—her resilience, her constant cycle of destruction and renewal. In doing so, we may find a small point of light, a glimmer of hope, and a way to rise.

– Timothy C. Takach, 2025

This text is drawn from my personal experience. Early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, I dug up a rose in my garden, dumped it sideways in a pot, and forgot about it…essentially leaving it for dead. But months later, the rose was still very much alive and producing the most stunningly beautiful pink flowers. This idea of not only surviving but actually thriving in the most inhospitable conditions is one that I think we can all take to heart. Each of us has value and worth, even when others do not see it.

– Caitlin Vincent, 2025