The Rare, Tiny Flower illustrates a deeply touching and thoughtful poem by Kitty O’Meara that, in the form of a parable, celebrates difference, tolerance, and unity. Written by O’Meara in Fall 2020, The Rare, Tiny Flower is in many ways thematically similar to And the People Stayed Home in that it is a commentary on difficult current situations in our world and offers hope for resolution and growth.

 

The poem features a mysterious flower that looks different to each viewer, which leads to strife as everyone insists that their vision is “right.” Leaders and even a botanist are unable to agree on the nature of the flower—it takes a young girl to point out that the flower is, in fact, quite multidimensional. Remarkably, she has the ability to be heard by the squabbling masses, who then see beyond their fighting and commit to connecting with one another.

O’Meara’s thoughtful poem includes people realizing and voicing this important lesson:

So much to fix,
too many false starts,
no time to waste
in uniting our hearts.
All of creation
is precious and rare,
and everyone has
a color to share!

“There are many problems facing the world today, and we’ve sadly seen, again and again, that when people are overwhelmed as they may choose to allow anxiety to mute their spirits and gifts,” O’Meara says. “When voices rise in anger and fear, no one can be heard. Reason and imagination depart. In The Rare, Tiny Flower, I wanted to show that every voice, every gift is here to meet the world’s needs. Space and time for listening and peaceful reflection are vital. We need to grant this to ourselves and others so we can reunite and get to work respectfully and creativity.”