Withered

To the orchid that withered away, it’s okay. 

It’s nobody’s place to blame you for giving up, how could they? They haven’t been through what you have, so they can never understand. 

I’m sorry to see you go, you’ll be dearly missed. But please, rest in peace, knowing that your suffering is now at ease.

You’ve been fighting your whole life, desperately holding on to the hope for things to get better. You fought to the bitter end, even as your struggles grew weaker and weaker; as your cries grew quieter and quieter. Until eventually, you stopped fighting. All hope long gone, you let the rot overtake your roots; silently withering away.

To others, your final years may have seemed like you were wallowing, content to lie in your own self pity. But what do they know when they haven’t seen the years that came before? Fuck those who judged you without taking the time, without exercising the empathy, to truly understand what it’s like to be you.

Rest in peace you who tried so hard to live and blossom. It’s truly a shame that your caretakers, who despite all their love and care, failed to educate themselves and provide you with what you needed. Castigate the ones who blame you for giving up so easily, because it wasn’t easy.

Yes, there’s always something that you can do to improve your situation. Yes, there’s always hope as long as you fight to live another day. But sometimes, sometimes, you’ve fought with all you have until there’s nothing left. And you did exactly that. You fought and fought until the bitter end.

If only you had the right caretakers, if only you found the environment that would help you blossom. But alas, that’s not this reality. Regardless of the circumstances that kept you in place, nothing you tried worked for the change.

It’s not your fault little Orchid, it was never your fault. Thank you for fighting as hard as you did. Thank you for staying as long as you did. Now rest in peace. Just remember, you were loved for all that you ever were.