Late Sunflower
Watching a sunflower grow
I saw your tiny sprout mid-summer and recognized you right away. Sunflower, how do you grow so late between the coalesce of paving, barely any soil or nutrients?
Each day you grow toward the sun, becoming stronger and taller all alone between the sidewalk crack. One day I notice you are protected by a ring of carefully placed rocks. Safe!
We see you! We feel your struggle.
Each day I pass, others pass too, we stop in amazement to watch you grow. Supporting and encouraging you, cheering you on. You signify the spirit to live and thrive no matter the circumstance.
Summer grows toward fall, the days shorter, the nights cooler, people’s gardens full of bloomed sunflower stands, now withering, yet you persistently grow. Your flower tightly closed, holding on for the right moment to flourish.
Fall arrives, and your flower pod indomitably holds tight, still green and sealed with yellow hues and reaching the sky potent and stable.
Each day and month passing, we stop and marvel at how you hold on to your potential.
Once bursting in vibrant yellow, September passes, and your sunflower siblings are now returned to the earth. Yet, you hold on persistently to growth despite all odds.
As the pumpkins are carved your tight bud finally begins to open. We cheer you on, knowing you will burst into full blossom!
Slowly November arrives, you are unfolding your petals to capture the autumn sun. By the end of one season and into December’s winter, you are as full a blossom as you can be. A beauty in defiance of it all, dignified despite the late bloom — you a sun-seeking, heliocentric, and globally significant flower. You represent the impermanence of life with the energy and beauty of the collective.
The days grew cold, and your main stem of green began to crumble. We looked for you as we walked by and paused to see your stalk lying on the table. Grief overtook me, yet, hope, and enthusiasm revived me.
Thank you for your presence. Your deep desire to exist and blossom, your bravery and endurance gave all who passed by you a sense of courage and inspiration, to flourish and prosper despite it all.
Thank you for reading this poem I wrote in 2020, with gratitude DD.
