A/N: Abigail told me his favorite flower was a begonia. A begonia sits in our apartment, and is nurtured by her every day. To the administration at Evergreen, and the people who were supposed to keep Jonathan Rodriguez safe, I hope you feel immense amounts of shame for what you have done. Why did it take my friend dying for change to happen, for the necessary maintenance to be done? No amount of money, community updates, or investigations will bring him back. This is for Jonathan Rodriguez, a light in everyone’s lives, who remains a light. Another close friend of Jonathan said to me, “He was a beautiful human, and now he is beautiful energy.”
Begonia growing in wet soil
Nurtured by the light, the air, the water, the love
Flowing around it, flowing within it
Becoming the light, the air, the water, the love
Flowing around it, flowing within it
Flowers grew beside, nurtured by the light, the air, the water, the love
Flowing around it, flowing within it
For Begonia became the light, and allowed the flowers around it to grow from the energy
Flowing around it, flowing within it
Those who basked in Begonia’s presence
Left feeling rejuvenated, feeling joyous, feeling
Filled with the light, the air, the water, the love
Flowing around it, flowing within it
And oh, the ones who planted Begonia
They could not be more proud
Of its growth
Of its beauty
Of the light, the air, the water, the love
Flowing around it, flowing within it
Begonia stood tall
Leaves spotted with white
Petals full and red
Roots strong and deep
Stretching through the soil
Filled with the light, the air, the water the love
Flowing around it, flowing within it
There I grew
There they grew
There we grew
Alongside Begonia
And there we stood tall together
Leaves and petals shaking and dancing in the wind
Together
In the world that once was
Filled with the light, the air, the water, the love
Flowing around it, flowing within it
There we were
Fueled by the world
Fueled by the light
Fueled by the air
Fueled by the water
Fueled by the love
Fueled by the potential and hope of the future
Of the growth we had yet to experience
And of the growth we had experienced together
Me, you and Begonia
We became the light, the air, the water, the love
We flowed around it, within it
But suddenly, so suddenly
The air, so beautiful
So pure
And the breath, so deep
Became tainted
Became poisoned
Begonia reached out for the one who could give its air back
A self proclaimed gardener, who’d taken care of many beautiful flowers before Begonia
Someone who promised the light
Promised the air
The water
And the love
Flowing around it, flowing within it
He had hands that were meant to reach back to Begonia
And a heart that was meant to care
A voice that was supposed to speak out
But he became silent
Cold
Dismissive
He turned his back on Begonia, blocking the light with his presence
And Begonia withered away
Begonia so tall
Roots so grounded
Petals so full
We watched them fall
We catch them in our hands
Our hands that will always reach out
Hearts that will always care
And voices that will always speak up
We do this
Because he turned his back to Begonia
Because he chose not to
Because he didn’t know the beauty of
The light, the air, the water, the love
Flowing around, flowing within
We hold these petals, delicately
Remembering Begonia through the intricacy of each line, each spot, each splash of color
We take him with us, with every step we walk
Across the world, close to home
Petals, leaves trailing where we go
Hoping one day, we see him grow once more
And although, Begonia is gone
The wet soil from which he grew, now barren and dry
We feel him still
In the light, the air, the water, the love
That flows around us
That flows within us
And in this, he remains
And here, within us
He grows
