from "Wonderful and Wise"
They called themselves the Paper Bag Players—
a maximum art with minimum expense
that spoke to children and adults alike.
A fragment of a song of theirs has stayed with me
for more than forty years:
Dandelion, dandelion,
same old story every time.
Dandelion, dandelion,
same old story every time.
And what it meant back then to them
I may have never known or don't remember
but this is what I think of now:
How I have waged a war against their kind
have dug their roots and yanked their yellow heads
have tried to stay ahead of their encroaching march—
have tried, have tried, have tried.
And maddened by their spiky stalks on lawn that I just mowed
or saw-toothed leaves or golden heads where I had weeded
I have imputed to them personal attacks on my landscaping goals
and stealth to grow where even wary eyes would miss them.
But no, these not-so-dandy children of a lion with lamb-soft seeds
have no more motive than to live and thrive.
I will not call a truce but know
these flower children will keep on taking hold
not caring if they root in tended lawn or long-forgotten ground—
will keep on rising rising rising wherever holy wind will plant them.
Makes you wonder if we just love to wage a useless battle... like we're some kind of ancient hero unable to lay down our weapons and tamely lose the war to a superior force.... 10++++++++++++ on this poem from long ago... oh, my rating might not register... everytime I rate a poem I am sent to the login stage
hey, susan! just to see you've read and commented on a poem of mine warms me—thank you. i do appreciate it. yeah, no sense warring against nature, but i have tried. over time my respect for it has grown, my awe of it has grown, and the realization that as much as we people can do, it remains beyond us to create the smallest life. may you, may i, be immersed continually in the wonder that surround us. -glen
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Dandelions live and thrive even in the smallest cracks of a wall or rock! Despite all our efforts to weed them out, they survive with their yellow caps held up! Though they are no dandies, still they are attractive and the survival instinct is so predominant in them! Beautiful poem Glen! (10)
thank you, valsa. as spring is springing here i'm weeding dandelions again, and i thought of this poem. curious, i googled the paper bag players and learned they're still going. their low-budget but excellent theater art was/is so good, i thought i could at least make people aware of them with this poem. -glen