smiling faces scorned
by overwhelming rainstorms
once bobbing heads-droop
September sunflowers breathe life into farmers' old field
glow
stirs,
quiet
spirals rise,
sun-tuned murmurs bloom,
shaping warm chromatic hushes,
petals are soft ciphers of radiant symmetry,
gathering sun gold light into one slow-turning, bright ring of living geometry.
We used to chase sunflowers when I was small:
the plant seeds finger-deep in rich dark mud
would crush egg-shells and scatter them round
the flourishing shoots would be five inches taller
to deter the mouth watering slugs, to keep
the flowers being lonely, and keep them whole.
We learned all about carbon dioxide in school:
about finding invisible nourishment in the light
about lifting up high, and chins up.
"Always keep your chin up," they said,
"It will light the warm and the soul."
My shoes don't fit me anymore
and the scratches on my knees are
creeping much higher, there like a
fishing line, causing me to not quite
keep my head upright.
Causing my shoulders to feel uptight.
I, the growing girl, never keeps my
eyes on my feet.
always on the sunflowers when possible
With the world at our ankles and nowhere to hide
But I stopped looking down where the shadows where sweet
And found I could no longer move my feel.
magical staffs of edible deliciousness
We passed French fields littered with steaming rolled hay
somewhere near the city of Verdun.
Here rain-weary sunflowers stood in ranks
and wouldn't even raise their faces to the sun.
Wilted green leaf shoulders on hunched old men,
all staring down at the mud on their toes;
or perhaps they were in mourning for their comrades
who’d fallen between the shabby rows.
Look up! Look up! The clouds are fleeing
and summer declares its victory.
Sunflowers should not be so sad.
Oh look up, little men, and smile for me.
These fields have known too much grief of old.
Lift up your faces and turn them gold.
The sunflowers were dipped in dawns light,
painting the whole earth in saffron silk and ebony smiles
They danced with Fall's first breath, devoting their body to the fleeting Sun
Drinking in his beauty,
they become one
under a turquoise sky
They behold one another’s eye
They stand tall over the dying all around
The Sun gave them their ground
He kisses his lovers
A love that covers
sunflowers spread their petals as seeds bask in the sun
Afternoon sunlight angled deep and low
Across the flooded fields of sunflowers aglow
Massive strips of sparkling yellow fairy light
Travelling over green and ochre tilled lands bright
With drops of rain, like tears from late day showers
On giant comic faces and trembling leafy hands
Each bizarre and staring flower posing in sunshine stands
And seems to laugh, echoes of forgotten renaissance heroes
Lost in breezes in farm fields of known and knowing flowers
Sunflowers I kiss
This treble clef on my rib
I rest in Heaven
I am grateful for the honeybees…
who remind us no matter how hard we work
no matter our situation or circumstance….
We should slow down every now and then…
and take the time to dance
I am grateful for sunflowers….
for not only are they bright…
but they remind me to stand tall and strong
and in any situation…to do my best to find the light.
A field of sunbursts
glowing neath the August sky-
sunflower beauties
Another moment of silence.
Another flag at half-mast
Another coffin dressed in colors.
Life's becoming quite a drag.
Community garden filling with tomatoes and needles.
Tiptoe like a sunflower, keep an eye wide open.
A black-smoke man was selling paper roses.
Monday morning, there's an empty desk at school.
Wrong place at the wrong time, they always chime.
Another Crayola crayon angel has died before their time.
Caught in the crossfire between the reds and blues.
Grief counselor soothes, but things will never be cool again.
A child's watching cartoons- a sudden news flash.
A firebug picked the perfect home; an entire family's dead.
The only thing you can do is turn the channel fast.
Sunflowers and ceasefires are God-sent but never seem to last.
Another moment of silence. Another flag half-mast.
Another coffin sprayed with tears and taps.
Life's becoming quite a drag.
my f
i
e
l
d g~l~e~a~m~s like g o l d
sunflowers t
i
l
t t—o—w—a—r—d l i g h t
drinking summer's s*h*i*n*e
from d
a
w
n until d
u
s
k
my kitty watched this b e a u t y~
as gift of nature
Contest title: 1393
Contest Judged: July 1st, 2025 9:06:00 PM
Sponsored by: Brian Strand
Placement: First
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