Dandelions

Upon my daughter attending her first ball...

               Dandelions

They start out as awkward,

      rather ugly

      green weeks

      with ragged edges

      sticking out in all directions.

Not difficult to maime and kill. . .

 

With time and nourishment,

      they put out tall,

      gangly, eager,

      energetic

      yellow flowers.

Now quite difficult to repress. . .

 

Suddenly, they are mature,

      lacy, airy,

      white, dancing,

      seed-laden,

      pods.

A bare puff of air sends them into the world. . .

 

She was like this dandelion plant.

      Young, tender,

      awkward,

      rough-edged,

      immature green.

So easily hurt and damaged. . .

 

Blooming, with patience and love,

      into a tall,

      gangly, eager,

      will-full

      yellow-haired girl,

More difficult to control. . .

 

Now an almost-mature

      delicate,

      dancing,

      idea-filled

      girl-woman.

And I try to block that puff of air. . .

 

2/15/91

Prattville, Alabama

Upon daughter attending first military ball.

Reviews

[Jo Zapata]

Editorian comments welcomed...

[Mark]

As soon as I read the adjective "gangly", I felt I knew the direction you were going, using that ubiquitous weed we all love to hate as a metaphor for the frequently unwelcome behaviours of the teenager. This is a lovely picture, with, happily, a stellar ending. Good work!
Do you welcome editorial comments, on spelling, punctuation, et al?