The Plea

Poem Body

I bent over
to pluck

the full-faced
dandelion,

its sun-burst bloom
beaming,

its pointed leaves
praying

as its tangled roots
clenched the earth for mercy

About This Poem

Style/Type: Free verse

Review Request Intensity: I want the raw truth, feel free to knock me on my back

Editing Stage: Editing - rough draft

About the Author

Country/Region: United States

Favorite Poets: I tend to read Ted Kooser, Jim Harrison, Paul Simon, Robert Frost. I like minimalist poetry, and poems reflecting on nature and Mother Earth.

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Comments

Dear Lavender,

Shame on you! You murder of innocent plant life!!! LOL!

*hugs, Cat & eddy styx

Hello, Cat and Eddy,

Yes! Who decides what's a weed and what's a flower? (I hope the poem reflects the piercing scream heard from the dandelion...) :)
Thank you for reading, as always!
Lx

The discription of the dandelion's face brings to me, a sunny disposition with its bloom beaming.
Ahhh... the reluctance of having to get rid of such beautiful little weeds!
Absolutely a tragedy, if you ask me. Nice stuff! ~ Geez.
.

Hello, Geezer,

We've been discussing dandelions a lot, lately. Neighbors spray their yard - so frightening. I was recalling the old fashioned way to remove dandelions, and boil them up like greens. Don't think people do that anymore, do they?
Thank you for reading!
L

Actually...

I was thinking about that. I do know some people that eat dandelion greens. I don't like them; they are too bitter for me. My father liked them and used to have my mother boil some up for him. Us children used to eat first, before he came home on those days. I had a neighbor when I lived in Connecticut, that used to cultivate dandelions in his lawn. He wanted to eventually have nothing but dandelions, instead of grass. It was a beautiful sight, all those yellow bobbing heads. His neighbors on the other side of his property were furious when the fuzzy white puffs of seed [pods]? would disperse in the wind, because they would seed themselves in their lawns. I thought it was very pretty and they require little care and looked so nice. Yes, it is frightening, people treat their lawns and properties with all kinds of herbicides and in the process kill many beneficial insects and BEES! I'm sure that you know that we need bees, without them, our crops and such would fail. Stupid people, wasting time, money and killing natural plants to maintain an unnatural environment. Sorry for going on about nothing to do with your poem. ~ Geez.
.

Hello, Geezer,

I don't think you are going on about nothing... the issue is very real, and a threat to our natural ecology. My grandmother fixed dandelion greens, and my Mother, too, although a little less. I don't know if the soil in most neighborhoods is safe enough now to eat them.
Thank you!
L

Hello L

I've never had them boiled but Dad would often wash them to use in a salad. Very tasty but a strong diuretic. Alex

Hello,Alex,

I haven't had them in a very long time, but always boiled with vinegar - kind of like spinach. It sounds like your Dad made good use of an available, edible plant.
Thank you,
L

Dear Lavender

Not sure how I have missed this one, but guess it's never late to enjoy a piece so cute that well captures such a distinguished flower/ weed... Who cares :)

One tiny thing in executing the piece, you can freely disagree with me
This is how I would arrange or rearrange the lines

I bent over
to pluck
the full-faced
dandelion,

its sun-burst bloom
beaming,

its pointed leaves
praying
as its tangled roots
clentched the earth for mercy

Ps. Do you mean clenched? A typo maybe?

Thank you dear friend for this enjoyable succinct lovely read

Hello, Rula!

How are you? I am sneaking in today to respond to comments. I am moved and dealing with a broken foot. Thank you so much for catching the typo and your wonderful suggestions! I will study the form and think it over a bit!
Hope you are well!
Lx