Are You An Unwanted Weed or A Withering Wildflower?

I remember reading a poem when I was younger about weeds and wildflowers, and which one is more appealing. To this day, I haven't been able to find that poem again, but I still ask myself, "Would I rather be a weed or a wildflower?"

Weeds are ugly and unwanted, but they're free. No one's going to pick them and bring them home to die. Weeds are free to blow in the breeze on a cliff, to bend down and kiss the water as it rushes by in a river. There are no worries about when they will be uprooted, waiting to die. They have power and control over their lives; they have freedom. But is an eternity of freedom worth the loss of a few moments of being wanted and loved? Is it worth being plucked by the hand of a child, to show his mommy how much he loves her?

Wildflowers are beautiful and wanted. They're red and yellow and purple and orange and blue. They're unique and sometimes rare, which makes them even more valuable. But they have no idea what the future will hold. One day they're growing strong and vibrant in the sun; the next, they're withering away on a nightstand or coffee table. Wildflowers have no idea what a long life is, because they're plucked in their youth, to be taken home to moms and wives and teachers and friends. But even though they may die young, never able to experience the eternal beauty of life, they are needed by someone, even if it is only for a flicker in time. They are used as a symbol of love, appreciation, gratitude. They symbolize that, although we all die, we can still remain beautiful, just as a flower does after being torn from life.

I still ask myself which I would rather be. Sometimes, I want nothing more than to be a weed, free of worry and responsibility. To just live in the moment, not afraid of what may lie ahead. To go on forever, even if no one knows I'm there.
But other times, I want to be a wildflower. To be beautiful and wanted, even for a moment. To stand as a token of love, a priceless gift. To make someone smile for a second, to laugh, to shed a tear. And although I would die young without every truly knowing freedom and control, I would be appreciated, wanted, remembered. I would be loved.
Ultimately, I would rather be a wildflower. For me, I wouldn't want to live life alone, no matter how much freedom I had. I want to feel needed by someone, even if it is only for a short period of time. After all, is it not better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all?

So if you had to choose, which would you rather be? A weed or a wildflower? Leave your comments and take the poll!