The Rose That Grew From The Crack In The Pavement

I heard about a rose that grew from a crack in the pavement.
That's a beautiful image,
But have you ever seen a rose grow from a crack in the pavement?
Have you ever seen something beautiful grow out of concrete? Anything? Ever?
I never have.

Rather, I have seen grass grow from cracks in the pavement.
And weeds, the kind of weeds people swear at while they dig them out of their rose garden. They hack away at them, tear their roots out, poison them.
Don't people pull those out of the sidewalk, when they grow there,
And I wonder, are these the same people who speak of the beauty
Of the rose that grew from the crack in the pavement?

Little, scrappy, funny looking weeds that nobody would ever say were beautiful,
Trampled on, pulled out or slowly turning brown, these are what grow
From the cracks in the pavement.

And yet, there is nothing more heroic
Than the little, scrappy, useless weeds
That grow from the cracks in the pavement
Where the roses are afraid to venture.