thanks, iriz, for your comment. the compliment and the questioning. the ending is kind of a play on the way things don't always turn out warm or welcoming, but how even that can be the thing that leads to our success. whether it gives us the rest we need, helps us to plant our roots in other soil or get our hands involved in other projects, etc. there is something ironic about seeds having to be buried and "die" in order for something to grow out of them. just as their is irony in the idea of someone's cold shoulder being the thing that leads to our success. like the yin and the yang of eastern philosophy, there's no good without bad, and no bad without good.

jess, I think you got the poem just right. "a few cold shoulders did me a power of good." it's a poem about the good things that can come from rejection. like a death blow to the old ego, or a missed opportunity that leads to an even better opportunity, etc. thanks for your words and for reading along.