"One man's trash is another man's treasure." How about, "One man's weed is another man's flower?" Certainly, this is the case of Dandelions. An enemy to many in Suburbia, here in the country we are overrun--and so accept them with as much of a Polyanna attitude as possible. Early settlers came up with Dandelion wine and Dandelion tea. The young leaves can be thrown into salads. But better yet, and far more "palatable," are the joys of seeing our children play in them, the bouquets happily presented to Mom, and the look of wonder on a toddler's face when the puffy white head of seeds is blown.
I asked Marie, 16, as I went out the door with her brothers to school, to write a poem about Dandelions. An Expository Writing assignment! She didn't hesitate or balk but asked, "What type?" I gave her no limits--whatever came to her head. Thirty minutes later, I was home and given the following:
“The First Dandelion”
The sun once grew ill
sickly and pale
It’s warmth began to wane
It’s power began to fail
No other stars were near enough
To see the orb’s distress
Only the moon saw it’s plight
For she knew him best
She knew what caused his ailment
The sun was all alone
No one ever smiled back at him
All sought shade when he shone
So the moon, one spring night
Called together the winds, four
She coaxed them with silver words
She begged them to soar
And through that night
Those winds; how they flew
They gathered ingredients
As the moon had bade them to
And the next morning
When the sun rose high
Imagine his surprise
As he opened his yellow eye
His rays began to spread
The sun stopped his crying
For beaming back at him
Was the first, gold, dandelion
And if wonder he did
Who’d sent him this bloom
The next day it turned white
White and full like the moon
Marie! Another joy to add to the Dandelion list.
I googled "Dandelion" and found a poem on a blog called "Wordlust: Pandering to Your Inner Linquist." It is humorously presented as a battle:
Suzy (and Marie),
The Abbey Farm
Two talented writers in the family it seems. ;)
ReplyDeleteI've always loved dandelions and consider them my favortie flower. They remind me of my childhood, as our yard was frequently overrun with them.
Thank you Suzy for a wonderful writeup. And your daughter's poem is fantastic. I can't believe she's 16 now!
- Jeff Schmucker
Thank you, Jeff. I loved your writing and miss it. We are honored by your comment. It is amazing how time flies. Like the seeds of your favorite flower!
ReplyDeleteSuzy