In the warm summer breezes, I remember your scent, imprinted as deeply in my nostrils as it is in my mind, while your rays of light shine so brightly they are almost blinding. In winter, I feel the chill that comes from knowing I can no longer have you by my side as I once did. Perhaps it was my fault letting you fall away like autumn leaves, knowing I could never be the flower you hoped spring would bring to life. The thorns that cut your hand tore a gash in my own chest. Yet, one must prune oneself, even when the past is missed. One thing I learned from you is how to live through the different seasons of a single year. My next summer will be warmed by the breeze of something new, even amidst the winter chill of uncertainty, as I wonder how leaves that fell in autumn might be reborn, more beautiful than before, in a promised spring. —Mv