Sunflower Girls

Ever since I was small,

I have loved sunflowers.

Bright yellow faces

Looking up for hours.

Facing the sun

From sunup to sun down.

Head surrounded

By a bright yellow crown.

As it gets late,

They do not turn away,

As the light starts to fade,

For the sun cannot stay.

They turn to each other

As it gets dark.

The light is now gone.

Not even a spark.

But they still have each other

Under September blue skies.

And they will wait patiently

For the sun to rise.

.

Do not break eye contact.

Don’t look to the dark.

There are things in the forest

Behind the park.

Watching and waiting

For sunflower girls

To slip into their dresses

And grandmother’s pearls.

But if you don’t look

Are they really there?

Maybe we’ll look tomorrow

But today we don’t dare.

.

Weeds creeping closer,

Hidden in black.

Creep up our legs

While we’ve turned our backs.

Crawling up higher

To slip round our necks.

Weaving in patterns

Tight and complex.

Wait for the gardener

To bring pesticides

Because we cannot turn

From each other’s eyes.

.

They always say,

“Look on the bright side”.

Then reach for our ankles

As we run to hide.

We look to the sun

And remember their words

And ask ourselves

Why we can’t join the birds

As they lilt through the air

In September blue skies.

But we’re stuck in the ground

With the weeds we despise.

So we cry out

But they don’t hear us pray.

“Look on the bright side,”

They repeat everyday.

And so we grow taller

With only each other

To talk to when weeds

Try to climb up and smother

The breath in our lungs,

In our stems, in our petals.

Perhaps we need barriers

Of stinging nettle

To keep out the things

That are always unwanted.

The things that turn sunflower girls

Into the hunted.

.

A field of sunflowers,

Blooming and bright.

Look to the sun,

Finding the light

In the darkness

And always keeping

Their sunflower sisters

From weeping

When the day ends.

So let me lie

Amongst sunflower girls

Under the blue-soaked sky.

We can stay here

All clustered together,

Protecting each other

From weeds and bad weather.

We’ll sprout our bright yellow

Petals and curls.

Please let me stay

With the sunflower girls.