[PW] Looking for a Short Story: The Rose That Grew from Concrete

[Douglas Anderson]

Robyn --

***WARNING -- POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW***

I remember a similar story about a rose growing from concrete, also
from a reading/literature textbook, or perhaps from Read magazine
around 1974 (?).  In the one I remember, it was set in a futuristic
society from which all frivolous things (like ornamental flowers) were
expunged, and those who tried to buck that were likewise.  The
protagonist was furtively cultivating a small rose that had somehow
started growing in the cracks in the concrete, but before it bloomed,
(she? he?) was caught by the agents of the system, who executed
her/him.  As I recall, the story ended with the protagonist dying but
begging the people who had found the rose to tell (him? her?) the
color of the rose.

Does this sound like the same story?  Unfortunately, I don't recall
the author or title, but for some reason the possibility that the rose
might have turned out to be "apricot" sticks in my head as significant
(perhaps just because, in middle school, it was the first time I'd run
into "apricot" as a word for a color?).  Not much help, I'm afraid,
though if this is it, then it might give you some more hooks to use in
your search.  If you do find it, I'd be interested in knowing the
details; the story made quite an impression on me at that age and I'd
enjoy reading it again.

-- Doug A.


On Nov 17, 2007 8:49 AM, Robyn Zylstra <rczy at msn.com> wrote:
>
> Hello, I am looking for a short story that was either titled or had an idea in it about a rose growing from concrete. I've searched, and all I've found is related to Tupac's poetry.  I thought that when I read his poetry I remembered a short story from when I was a child (about 15-20 years ago). This would have been a story in a reading/literature textbook.
> Thanks,Robynrczy at msn.com
>
>



-- 
Douglas E. Anderson, Reference Coordinator
Ashtabula County District Library
335 W. 44th St.
Ashtabula, OH 44004 USA
440/997-9341
http://www.acdl.info/