To the Dandelion In the Concrete
You probably don't think much of me
save for the season of spring
when your lawn litters itself
with giant over-buttered popcorn
(birds that think they can sing,
supersonic sneezes?
those kinds of things)
And yet here I am,
standing out like a stamp on a letter
(a marble in a field? even better)
I don't wish to be a bother,
only a friend
(merely an acquaintance would suit me fine)
But alas ... I see your eager fingers
reaching for the spray
(you DO know that I'll just come back ... like ...
the following day?)
I'm not like those other plants,
all stuck up regardless of circumstance
(certainly not like those stoic cedars;
when the breeze hits me right I like to dance)
But don't get it twisted
that my musicality means I'm soft as goo,
for - like my herbaceous brethren -
I have my weapons, too
The grass they have blades, but I...
I am a shining emerald lance,
a golden head is my insignia
Address: two-ten Sidewalkville,
in the Botanical State of Suburbia
That line by your feet?
well, that's my line in the sand
This patch of summer lawn
is my country folk's native land
And I dare you to cross it (nay, make it double)
Take your ten timid toes an inch to the right
and there'll be no trouble
For you see ... I am invincible: I cannot be erased
Matters not how many lawnmower blades you replace
To that tunnel-light I will not inspect
To that goodly night I will not go gentle
Merely attempting to slay me,
to your child's health 'twould be detrimental
(and who had the audacity to call me dandy?)
Just because my colorful coat reminds one of candy
doesn't presume sweetness of taste,
fragility of frame...
(weak in the knees? please)
I headbutted my way into existence
right through the concrete
all the while you slept
all swaddled in your sheets
(tender to the touch,
softness of the head?
you presume volumes too much)
I thrive in the August heat:
triple degrees, my dose of caffeine
Any other species would have wilted away,
destined to be crunched under so many city feet
(I'm looking at you, autumn leaves)
But me? When it's my time to go,
to the azure heavens is where I'll be
(when the moon sets low and those bright dots
begin to show)
That's when you'll know
I am eternal
Resilient as a rock,
but like an eagle I am free
(no date upon the calendar
could possibly confine me)
NOTE: I originally attempted to make an entry for that Pantoum Personification contest, but I quickly realized pantoum was out of the question ... lol. Don't like to share posts in a row that have such similar titles (like my other one, The Dandelions Beg to Differ) ... however, I think it's okay since this one is ACTUALLY about dandelions. Lol.
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