sunflower elegy
(Kim Michele Richardson)

.

i told him i care naught for roses
it is sunflowers i love.

so he labors under summer suns
knees set on earth’s naked field
carving out row after row

where his heart plants ovals
of hope, faith and love
to honor our love

hundreds of seeds grab root
in dirt pocket homes
soon rich black soil
will bare its face and
birth tender green shoots

and i will laugh, chastise him
and say you fatten the wildlife
but he will not listen
he is determined

he envisions rows of sunflowers
that will lift brown pancake heads
to the sky in homage
to his love

but the deer will come feast
under cloak of darkness
and on the ‘morrow
he will curse the beasts

i will take his hand in mine
and lead him to
two unscathed plants

he will smile because he knows
seeds of hope, faith and love
will flourish

and he will say to me
i know it is sunflowers
not roses you love

.

Read more of Kim Michelle Richardson’s poetry here. Her memoir, The Unbreakable Child, will be released in April.

Editor’s note: ‘Midnight Poetry’ is a showcase for work by poets across the spectrum—from the pantheon of literary giants to contemporary, underground and new voices.

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This entry was posted on Friday, February 20th, 2009 at 7:50 pm and is filed under *William's Posts, Afternoon Viewing, Midnight Poetry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.