Work Text:
13 ways to look at a sunflower.
Straight forward,
Roots covered with black soil
Petals fresh with dew
Wilted,
Dry with age,
Yellow turned to brown.
It can no longer take root.
Newly sprouted,
A single stalk and leaf,
It barely exists,
It might not be a sunflower,
But you think it is.
So it is.
You pulled all the petals off,
Loves you,
Loves you not.
you plant the seeds and wait.
One dry seed in a pack,
Covered in salt, baked.
It’s a nice snack.
Pretty too,
In a sad kind of way.
In a vase you didn’t know you had.
Yellow against blue,
and green,
and orange,
Or maybe just blue.
In a field.
Thousands of them,
“like an army” someone says,
More like a celebration,
Not so violent as all that.
In a girl’s hair.
Yellow against dark brown,
Maybe it’s curly or straight hair.
You don’t know.
You only notice the sun flower.
In a teapot.
It looks nice,
A little odd,
But everyone’s a little odd.
Water it daily.
Alone in a field.
A single flower against the sky,
And sun,
And grass,
It’s a sad sight.
You might cry.
Sewn into a shirt,
Made out of embroidery thread instead of plant matter.
Your mom made it.
Or maybe she didn’t.
You like it anyway.
The thread reminds you of the sun.
In a museum,
Maybe they’re Van Gogh’s,
But plenty of other people have painted sunflowers.
The paint is thick, it’s oil.
It makes you smile.
You buy a print.
Planted in your garden.
Because you love them,
Because they make you happy,
We all need something that makes us smile.
Do this and you can see them anyway you want.
But you should ask how the sunflower’s feel.