Soul of dandelions and soil
They're such beautiful flowers
so they must belong somewhere
Wondrous inch-long towers
never seen it once and ere
They hide with each rain shower
when it's so terribly wet
Brilliant sun in power
replies, 'Now our meeting's set!'
It is as such a surprise
that with punctual sunrise
appears seas of yellow eyes
where green places its assured bet.
Men and women till and fret
spraying, employing the mower
jealous of lawns others get
Their hour must wane lower.
Floating spores play tête-à -tête
with the soil, not soon dried dead
She recedes, your time-her debt
yet, Forget-me-so rears her head.
One can surely dare surmise
that they possess earthly ties,
strong roots, and leaves of hard lies,
some truth to render them fed.
I may work and work endless,
care for an eternity
White hairs may still float on-yes,
still for opportunity.
Dandelions and my fear
remind of faith I hold dear.
Flowers many together
so together, their burden-
stubborn, must we share each year.
©2020 by Ayo Okikiolu.
Context:
Another one that originated from gardening. We wrestled with these strong, difficult-to-pull-out dandelions on our Calgary lawn during Summer 2020. They birthed this poem as I thought about how deeply rooted some things I believe are.
