A Flowery Smile, A Smiley Flower Poem by Michael Shepherd

And we need the wisdom of others
for instance, this week
I'm eating sunflower seed bread

and suppose that no-one had told me
that just like those cutesy baby tapeworms
sunflower seeds made themselves at home
and grew like men having babies

until one day, someone would say good morning
and you'd open your mouth and just like
one of those happy film cartoons
out would pop a big yellow sun flower as
an answer

worse still if you were strolling round
a Van Gogh show and someone asked you
what you thought of them
and thought you were taking the mickey
like some Disney moment

yes we need other people's wisdom
to live safely I mean
why don't they grow like tapeworms,
do you know, smartypants?