A portrait image captures a close up of a dandelion that has gone to seed. The round shape of the dandelion increases in clarity as it moves toward the center extending beyond the photo on each side. It pops off a blurred green palette with the hint of a stem below it. In the center of the photograph, a collection of about a dozen seeds are in sharp focus with thin lines of fluff bursting like sun rays from the concentrated white centers. The white fluffy lines overlap one another in places creating an abstract pattern through which the green palette provides a contrast.
A wish whispered as I walked by So I turned around to meet it. What else could I do? Please know I hesitated At first believing the wish Must be calling to someone else. At first I hesitated. Believing caution is wise. Sometimes wind is just wind. And wishes speak their own language. Don’t they? Understanding nothing Except that something made me doubt my doubting, I paused. Curious.
That’s when I turned around Doing over what wasn’t really done. I listened intently And lowered myself to the ground. From my knees, I peered into the sphere of seeds. Bundled hope held in fluffy patterns Like a million paths Each light enough to float away And take something with it. A million paths Connected to a single point Yet reaching everywhere. A tangible intent, I suppose, If not a spoken wish, Embodying its’ own destiny.
As for me, I confess, I took a chance And did what dreamers do When they sense something Speaking their name Without words.
With closed eyes and pursed lips, I blew. And then laughed. What else could I do? You might have even seen me Frolicking amidst the roadside weeds On that random evening.
And the seeds? Well, I imagine they laughed too Rolling and coasting into the next part of their journey Carried by cosmic breaths.
There I sat with the seedless stem And a beaming smile When a gentle breeze nudged me on. For the first few steps, My heart held on. As my hand let go. I kept walking My heart opened And the seeds were freed To grow.
