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Dandelion Woman

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October 26, 2024

~ Poem Of The Day ~
October 28, 2024

Poet’s Note: this poem was composed to reflect the beauty and strength of a woman, any woman, all women as they endure the travails of life and prevail. I relish the perseverance of this “sweet dandy-lass” and admire her persistence to rise above adversities and embrace enjoyments secure in her strength and identity as a “dandelion woman”. May the dandelion woman’s defiant spirit survive and thrive despite hardships, may her golden brilliance outshine the July sun and may we all hold up a woman’s worth in our highest esteem .


*sparks for larks: refers to a seed, a genesis of something, growing an idea, a stirring to activity, a source of inspiration, motivation for amusement, adventure, a quest for fun… or it could simply mean that the speaker has a nurturing nature towards lovely larks :)

*Farrah-haired: refers to the blonde, feathered, blown-out hairstyle made famous in the 70’s by Farrah Fawcett, one of the original Charlie’s Angels.


 

Oh look here— behold a dandelion woman the original wild flower! I go where I want to go I grow where I want to grow — don't matter if y o u say no dandelion wine summertime relax and recline — remedy just-in-time I’ll intoxicate all your senses in all your seasons rearrange your reasons breathe your breath with mine watch me evolve; a peasant.. a star.. a Ferris wheel… …ah, dandelion woman… not to be dismissed as an ordinary weed I’m a sun dapple come to life an earthly offspring of the Sun a mother to a meadow of sun dapples daughter of an old flour-haired mother fertile as the Flower Moon — a mirror of midday and midnight gods my complexion nectar and milk immortalized in paints of Van Gogh a sweet dandy-lass who beams beneath pines a Venus who dreams at sunrise and gleams in moonrise yet I push my wheelbarrow through fields and sow sparks for larks as I sew my tapestry I savor rain like Chardonnay dine on dust of drought and rust of doubt I am a land warrior a soul of the soil… but my dreamy head wears a cumulus cloud for a crown a white-angora-fedora of hope I’m a wind-rider; a sky-diver a paraglider my parachute in wanderlust — I’ve outlasted Boreas and his surreal boreal moods this artic-haired cold-aired gale-breathing god a skin-and-soul-seducer … his whisk of breath against my cheek oh! the risky frisk of his brisk hands… my body his firestone as I alone became his own his robe of polar fur spread horizons of caribou tundras his steed— a motley stomping-stallion-storm weaving then leaving a soothing or bruising fate amid white wonderlands and boney lonely barrens beech-tree-bosom-branches droop-laden with froth of winter milk soft as maiden eiderdown lattice-branches a lush white cage daylight’s fever-flush soaked a rosé rose upon snow his opiate voice I heard a hypnotic antibiotic… troubadour’s sing-song-sigh warmed icicles to weep the locked-jaw-bite of frost-fanged badlands his northern lash gripped my skin like the cling-sting of a whip as storms muscled in and hit with closed fists his snow-squall-voice gusted furious words fell heavy accumulating… drifting… burying… but winter man’s blizzards couldn’t kill the bison they couldn’t —no— they wouldn’t kill me! Yes, look here! this blonde daisy-weed unplugs lightning and tangles tongues of thunder! my sauciness shows in my naughtiness as I sit among orchids snake-eyed their prattle hissed through snaring lips baring rattlesnake-venom-teeth … ha! the “cultivated” — so uncultivated! while soft embrace of rumble-voice bees humbles me I’ve been stepped on Hell! I’ve been trampled yet here I bloom sunny-smile-side up (not one to moon) I make peace with cracks in concrete roam side roads grow between cobblestones found an emerald field spread my gold I live.. l - i - v - e .. L I V E !! where I breathe a patch of ground my launchpad into the universe I’m country girl flannel-shirt-cozy and a bleak-city-streets survivor Yes, look here! behold I am the original Farrah-haired wild flower— a hands-on-my-hips smirk-on-my-lips dandelion woman!

Copyright © | Year Posted 2024




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Date: 11/18/2024 2:58:00 AM
You are so talented, my dear friend, Susan. I am sure many a women can relate and resonate to this. Awesome writing as usual. And Belated Congratulations on your very well-deserved POTD! Warmest wishes ~Charlie
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Susan Ashley
Date: 11/18/2024 12:08:00 PM
Dear Charlie, it's wonderful to see you! I revel in your wonderful words and soulful presence. Thank you for sharing in the emotions and imagery of this piece with me. Your kind thoughts and congrats are treasured, my dear poet friend. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
Date: 11/7/2024 7:47:00 AM
Belated congratulations on POTD. One of my favorite lines - I am a land warrior a soul of the soil . I resonate with this deeply …. Thank you for the gift of you . Love and gratitude, Susan :)
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Susan Ashley
Date: 11/18/2024 12:03:00 PM
Dearest Susan, my shining soul sis, thank you for your thoughtful congrats. Your golden words are precious! I had a feeling those lines would resonate deeply with you. You are grounded and rooted so beautifully yet you soar the cumulous gracefully with the white winged spirit of the sky! Thank you for the gift of you, my sweet friend. I appreciate you so very much! My love to you always.. ~Susan
Date: 11/7/2024 7:44:00 AM
I love you dear poetess extraordinaire Susan ! Bravo for this tribute to the wild, wonderful and resilient woman we all hold deep within. You have sculpted vision and soul in a way that brings me to tears . I know to do this you have experienced every nuance that you so masterfully describe. You have lived between the cracks of concrete and risen to the heights of the greatest gods in the clouds . Yes …. So very grateful for your heart and vision . Love to you sent on white wings, Susan :)
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Susan Ashley
Date: 11/18/2024 11:55:00 AM
Dearest Susan, I am truly gratified by your shining presence and grateful for your intuitive response to my poem. Your soulful insight never fails to see into the heart of my poems, and your eye of inner wisdom is exceptionally clearsighted here. Thank you for sharing in the imagery and emotions of this piece with me. Together, my dear poetry sis, through our capabilities of perception, imagination and poetic expression we travel the realms of mortal and spiritual energies, and lives past and present. May our spirits ever soar side by side. Warmest wishes and love sent to you on the high-glide of white wings.. ~ Susan
Date: 11/1/2024 5:09:00 AM
Hi dear Susan, once again back to your wonderful poem with a belated Congratulations on your more than deserved honor of POTD. I read this a second time and liked it all the more.
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Susan Ashley
Date: 11/1/2024 7:56:00 AM
Dearest Valsa, precious poetess, I am filled with appreciation for your return visit and re-read of my poem. I'm thrilled to know your enjoyed it all the more the second time around. I'm filled with gratitude for your heartwarming words of congrats, my sweet poetry sis. Your golden presence inspires me! Warmest wishes my lovely friend.. ~Susan
Date: 10/29/2024 4:29:00 AM
it's difficult for me to say anything that i haven't already said about your writing, susan, it's just awesome and unique, the way you dance with language..your poetry is in a league of its own, and seems to be going from strength to strength..you really craft your pieces, and i suspect you work similar to me, building a poem image by image, layer by layer, almost like working on a sculpture..belated congrats on potd - such a deserving one
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Susan Ashley
Date: 11/1/2024 7:14:00 AM
Dear Charlotte, I'm thrilled and honored by your response to my poem. Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. They are uplifting and keep me reaching further in my quest for self-expression.. your words let me know I'm on the right path. I feel like we definitely build our poems in the same way.. yes, image by image, layer by layer. It's gratifying to know that we create in a similar way. Warmest wishes my esteemed poet friend.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 7:24:00 PM
Even though ' I’ve been stepped on, ' I bloom, ' and ' I make peace with cracks in concrete. ' I ' spread my gold. ' She's delicate, yet strong ! Her beauty is within and shines on the outside. Many feel the kindness in her heart. Oh, Susan. This is beautiful in every way and so deserving to be here in the spotlight. Congratulations my dear sweet friend, on Poem of the Day. Warm hugs and blessings to you. :) Brandy
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/30/2024 1:34:00 PM
Dearest Brandy, my soulful friend, indeed, the Dandelion Woman is both "delicate and strong"! Like you! I embrace your beautiful response to my poem. Thank you for sharing in the emotions and imagery of this piece with me. I am honored and humbled by your golden poetic presence here my sweet friend. Your thoughts touch the depths of my heart as do you heartfelt congrats. Warmest wishes and hugs to you.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 6:45:00 PM
nice
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/30/2024 12:43:00 PM
thanks
Date: 10/28/2024 5:18:00 PM
A work of art!awesome lines abd beauty! Congtats, celebrate. Pangie
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/30/2024 12:48:00 PM
Dear Pangie, thank you for sharing in the emotions and imagery of this poem with me. Your wonderful response is uplifting! Let's celebrate the Dandelion Woman's indominable spirit! I know her resilient spirit resides in your heart and soul. Your gracious visit and kind congrats are truly appreciated. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 9:49:00 AM
“May we all hold up a woman’s worth in our highest esteem”. We must, Susan. Farrah haired, flour haired, original, never have I heard it, clever. The dandelion wild and free “not to be dismissed as an ordinary weed” those fuzzy balls that disperse in the wind, make a wish first! Who knew there was dandelion tea and wine! Aha. A heavy melancholy descended upon me, winter man. "this blonde daisy-weed unplugs lightning and tangles tongues of thunder" echoes strength, then lost myself in the emerald field, I was the dandelion woman for a moment. Live, yes live! Be free. Congratulations Susan Ashely, my "wildflower" “sweet-dandy-lass” poetess friend on the POTD! Unsparing love-Girl Power! I’ll pour the Chardonnay; I pronounce it with a hard C. ~Anaya
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/30/2024 1:04:00 PM
Dear Anaya, where do I begin to express my gratitude and elation for the soulful outpouring of your precious response?!:) Your thoughts touch the depths of my heart. I am so moved by your words, indeed, your words have the power to lift me to beyond the cumulus! "Live, yes live! Be free." Let's celebrate the Dandelion Woman's resilient spirit that blooms in you and women everywhere. Raise your glass, sweet dandy-lass, my dear poetess friend, Anaya.. here's to you, here's to Girl Power! Cheers! Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 9:19:00 AM
Hi Susan, congratulations on your POTD, a mammoth of a write.
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/30/2024 12:41:00 PM
Dear John, thank you for your gracious visit. Your wonderful thoughts and kind congrats are truly appreciated. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 8:09:00 AM
Congratulations on your POTD win. WOW!!! What a write/story you have here. Your pen was working overtime on this one. Have a wonderful day with your wonderful win.................
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/30/2024 12:39:00 PM
Dear Paula, your response to my poem is heartwarming! Thank you for sharing in the emotions and imagery of this piece with me. Indeed, my pen did work overtime on this! Lol! Your kind congrats are truly appreciated. Warmest wishes my poet friend.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 7:34:00 AM
Crowned with a cumulus cloud, she glides and sails to meadows wide and far, Great write Susan, Congrats on POTD
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/30/2024 12:36:00 PM
Dear Joseph, it's wonderful to see you. Thank you for your gracious visit and lovely remarks. Your kind congrats fill me with appreciation. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 7:03:00 AM
This piece blew my mind! I genuinely dunno where to even begin appreciating the infinite tokens of magnificence in this write... gosh, absolutely heart-stirring, resonating, profound, surreal and powerful! I'm especially inspired by your enchanting use of diction and vocabulary whilst weaving together the most mesmerizing metaphors ~ there's so much depth in every part. "this blonde daisy-weed unplugs lightning and tangles tongues of thunder" Gosh, astounding! And the way you've formatted this is so incredibly captivating! "as I sit among orchids snake-eyed their prattle hissed through snaring lips baring rattlesnake-venom-teeth " Ahhh, absolutely haunting! Your talent shines beyond everything! Always so inspiring as you possess a golden quill ~
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/30/2024 12:35:00 PM
Dearest Hiya, I am elated, humbled and honored by your soulful response. Thank you for sharing in the emotions and imagery of this poem with me. Indeed, dandelion women are an inspiration. You inspire me, dear poet. It's great to see you back among us. Let's celebrate together the enduring spirit of the Dandelion Woman, she blooms in all women. Your kindest congrats and the distinction of your fave is deeply appreciated. Warmest wishes my sweet friend.. ~Susan
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Hiya Sharma
Date: 10/28/2024 7:05:00 AM
Heartiest congratulations on the honour of POTD as well, so happy for you and it's absolutely deserving! Sending light and best wishes to you, keep shining like the Dandelion Woman~ this is a FAVE
Date: 10/28/2024 5:36:00 AM
I’m a sun dapple come to life… daughter of an old flour-haired mother fertile as the Flower Moon… and sow sparks for larks as I sew my tapestry I savor rain like Chardonnay dine on dust of drought and rust of doubt…and so much more. Congrats on POTD and a fave!
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 7:01:00 PM
Dear Kim, creative, expressive poetess, I'm filled with gratitude for your gracious visit and heartwarming congrats. Thank you, my dear friend, for sharing in this poem with me. The honor of your fave is truly appreciated. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 5:30:00 AM
Nice showcase for a nice poet. Enjoy your time in the limelight
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 6:58:00 PM
Aww, thank you, Tom. You're a nice poet too :) I'm delighted by your considerate return visit and your kind words. You are appreciated my poet friend. Warmest wishes.. ~Suze
Date: 10/28/2024 4:15:00 AM
So stunning and glorious, dear poetess. A huge hug of Congratulations on this remarkable POTD. Have a wondrous special poetry day sweet poetry friend! Blessings :))))
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 6:54:00 PM
Dearest Regina, my soulful poet friend, it's wonderful to see you! Thank you so much for sharing in this poem with me. I'm so pleased to know you enjoyed it. Your kind congrats are heartwarming as is your shining friendship. Warmest wishes and hugs to you, inspiring poetess.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 4:03:00 AM
Dearest Susan, congratulations on well-earned POTD. Your poem is a fierce and vivid celebration of resilience and independence, embodying the “dandelion woman” as a symbol of raw, natural beauty and defiance. She is both delicate and powerful, thriving in unlikely places and embracing her identity as a “wild flower,” unbound by expectations. Through rich imagery, she transforms what others might dismiss as a “weed” into a mythic figure, deeply connected to nature and all its cycles. Your amazing poetic skilful writing forever shines sweet Soul…Love and Hugs
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 6:50:00 PM
Dearest Maria, poet extraordinaire, I'm elated by your generous and thoughtful response. I treasure your words, so beautifully expressed and insightful. You see into the heart of my poem, into the heart of the dandelion woman, with the clarity of a seasoned poet and creative soul. You are a shining dandelion woman, my sweet and elegant friend, full of beauty and golden light. Thank you for sharing in the emotions and imagery of this piece with me and for your heartwarming congrats. Warmest wishes and hugs, sweet poetry sis.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 3:41:00 AM
Magnificent poetry Susan, I wish I’d been a dandelion girl when I was young, free to go and free to grow, free to be carefree, sadly it wasn’t to be for me. Congratulations on a receiving a well deserved poem of the day award… Beryl
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 6:39:00 PM
Dear Beryl, wonderful poet, thank you for your gracious visit and heartwarming congrats. I treasure your precious thoughts. Oh my dear poet friend, I'm sorry you weren't able to be carefree when you were young, but you are a dandelion woman, mind, body and poetic soul, as you persevere through life's limitations and expectations. I hope you are able to feel carefree when you are creating art with your inspiring poetry. Warmest wishes and hugs.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 3:39:00 AM
Susan, love your dandelion poem, congratulations on POTD.
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 6:30:00 PM
Dear Tania, your response to my poem is heartwarming! Thank you for sharing in the emotions and imagery of this piece with me. Your kind congrats are truly appreciated. Warmest wishes my poet friend.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 2:12:00 AM
Absolutely mesmerising! What an enchanting write this is! Warmest congratulations on POTD, Susan
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 6:13:00 PM
Dear US, my esteemed poet friend, I'm delighted to know you were enchanted. Thank you for sharing in the emotions and imagery of this poem with me. Your gracious visit and kind congrats are truly appreciated. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 1:28:00 AM
Back with big congratulations to Susan on your well deserved honour of POTD. Tom
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 6:09:00 PM
Dear Tom, I'm delighted by your thoughtful return visit! Thank you for your kind words of congrats. Your poetry friendship is truly appreciated. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 1:03:00 AM
Congratulations on your POTD. Well done.
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 6:07:00 PM
Dear Daisy, thank you for your lovely visit and kind congrats. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
Date: 10/28/2024 1:00:00 AM
What a beautiful poem of the day! Congratulations Sara!
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 6:04:00 PM
Dear Karen, your gracious visit is appreciated. Thank you for your lovely comment and kind congrats. Warmest wishes my poet friend.. ~Susan
Date: 10/27/2024 12:49:00 PM
This poem is breathtaking, so many metaphors- how did you come up with so many? Wow- I especially love "while the soft embrace of rumble-voice bees humbles me" and "I push my wheelbarrow through fields" "I make peace with cracks in concrete" this is amazing writing- thanks <3
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 6:02:00 PM
Dear Paige, inspiring poet, I relish your wonderful response. I'm so glad to know you enjoyed my poem. How do I come up with so many metaphors? Well, I have a really active imagination and an obsession with expressing ideas, thoughts, emotions when I'm writing.. lol! But, the down side is it definitely makes me a slow writer. Thank you for sharing in the emotions and imagery of this piece with me. Your gracious visit and poetry friendship are appreciated. Warmest wishes.. ~Susan
Date: 10/27/2024 6:18:00 AM
I felt so proud being a woman as I read your marvelous poem! Dear Susan, this is crystallized beauty.... Impeccable! I love the very title and the comparison of a village lass to a dandelion woman. "dandelion woman… not to be dismissed as an ordinary weed I’m a sun dapple come to life an earthly offspring of the Sun a mother to a meadow of sun dapples daughter of an old flour-haired mother fertile as the Flower Moon —" Wow..!! What wonderful attributes. I have lost myself in the beauty of your poem and I am levitated weightless and float in the air like a dandelion seed. "I’ve been stepped on, Hell! I’ve been trampled, yet here I bloom" Bravo! Jumping over all hurdles, hardships and oppositions, I will bloom! Amazing... ! Into my FAVE.
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Susan Ashley
Date: 10/28/2024 5:54:00 PM
Dearest Valsa, enchanting poet, I truly cherish your precious thoughts. I'm gratified to know that you felt proud to be a woman as you read my poem. For me to know that is amazing, elating and so very moving! The beauty and power of your words lift my spirits to beyond the clouds! Thank you for the immense honor of both your uplifting comments and fave. I treasure your poetry friendship. You are a shining dandelion woman and an exquisite poet, my inspiring friend. Warmest wishes and hugs.. ~Susan
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