Naked Dandelion

Poetry

Naked Dandelion

Katie Frances Hartless

feminism, motherhood, spring

Naked dandelion

you stripped

to give birth,

now society will shun

you forever.

Nude,

seedless

your body a hearth

for the too

hot sun,

or any man

with a mower

for that matter.

Stand tall

thin

bendable now

by the slightest

rain or wind.

Naked dandelion,

funeral pyre,

burn in glory.

Remember

the yellow days,

when you made

men smile.

And know,

your seed,

blown crazy

by the wind,

will rise again

next spring

to delight

and annoy

the hearts of men.

16 responses to “Naked Dandelion”

abigfatcanofworms

Oh dear. Isn’t nature harsh? Like the poor honey bee drone, who having planted his seed in the Queen mid-flight, must plummet to his death because the act has ripped out his abdomen. Reproduction is no small thing when you give your life for it. A lovely poem. Thank you.

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Oh, great connection. Honeybee drone poem, you must write that sometime. A different take on the cycles of life and love.
  
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  1. abigfatcanofworms
    
    Yes. I listened to a podcast about honey bees recently. They have quite taken my imagination by swarm. 😆
    
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Mister Bump UK

love the circular nature.

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1. K.Hartless
  
  I love how hot people get about this week; dainty dandelions but they’re much hated by adults and much enjoyed by children.
  
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eob2

I like this poem, indeed they are maligned. With wishes we send them on their way, and toast their journey with
wine as we enjoy the salad they made and crown ourselves royal with their bloom. 😊

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Hobbo

A lovely ode to a much maligned bloom!

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Thank you kindly, Hobbo. Poisoned and plucked, is it because they are so prolific?
  
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  1. Hobbo
    
    Not sure how a plant gets labelled as a flower or a weed. Over here we have Himalayan balsam which the Victorians imported as an ornamental plant for large gardens. It became so prolific and invasive that it was then classified as a weed, and now it is actually illegal to plant it or move it!
    
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johnlmalone

love the layout of the poem, the imagery, the lines ‘the yellow days when you made men smile’

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Thank you. I wanted it to feel Dandelion. So, I’m very glad it did.
  
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Ali Grimshaw

Just wonderful. This metaphor is powerful.

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1. K.Hartless
  
  Thank you. This poem has a special memory for me, and I think of it each spring when the dandelions return.
  
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  1. Ali Grimshaw
    
    I really like it. I am going to read it again and share it with a friend. Thanks for sharing your voice with me today.
    
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  2. K.Hartless
    
    So very kind. Thank you, Ali.
    
    LikeLiked by 1 person
NaPoWriMo#12 Dent De Lion – Yard Sale of Thoughts

[…] ago, I wrote a different poem about dandelions. If you’re curious, you can check out that one here as well, as it’s an old favorite of […]

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