Meditating With A Dandelion Poem by Stephen Katona
Meditating With A Dandelion
I sat beside a dandelion in the shade,
(I'd missed it earlier with my spade)
And wondered how it had been made.
Why less popular than a rose,
And feared by those with patios?
I stared into a yellow centre,
To see the work of its creator,
Learnt how long and wide each strand,
Turned it gently in my hand,
And noticed how each stem bears,
Lots of tiny white hairs.
An elder sister looked rather odd,
A tightly packed green pod.
Her hair was a tuft of white,
Dreaming of future flight.
I picked up a nearby ball of seeds,
A wonder from this queen of weeds,
And plucked a single speck of brown,
To stare closely at its dainty crown,
Until it floated off into the air,
Lighter than a single hair.
I blew the rest towards the sun,
(Why let nature have all the fun?)
And watched them settle here and there,
You'd like it too if you'd dare.
Ten minutes of time well spent,
Has left me feeling quite content.
While seeds fly off to germinate,
I've learnt a way to meditate.
A few minutes to forget busy thoughts and wonder at something beautiful.
Spending time noticing minute detail in nature is something I've always enjoyed.
A famous psychologist, Milton Erickson once asked one of his patients to sit on a lawn until he made a fantastic discovery...
An hour and a half later he rushed back and said:
'Do you realise that every blade of grass is a different shade of green'
This story always struck me as an example of how we can lose track of time noticing the small things in life, a state that some try to achieve through meditation, others through fishing, knitting, stamp collecting...
Thanks to my poemhunter friend Bri Edwards I realized I should remove some introductory lines that set the scene but had little to do with dandelions:
'I boldly stepped outside.
No longer would I hide.
Hit by summer sun,
I wondered what I'd begun.
Forced to shelter my eyes,
I thought I'd been unwise,
Until she warmed my skin,
Then I knew we were kin.
A blackbird twittered in a tree above,
Sending out its song of love.
I listened to rustling leaves,
Stirred by a sudden breeze,
Then sat beside a dandelion in the shade...
This is an extremely touching poem, YES! For Dandelions the charming pleasant weed, that is the bane for Lawn Lords but pleasant to nature lovers. There are lots of wonderful things to do with dandelions, it can be used to treat upset stomachs, blood tonics and laxatives, I've even seen people eat them and apply them to sandwiches, but I'm getting away from the topic, this is some really good work, your opening is very reminiscent of William Wordsworths I wondered lonely as a cloud but they were tiny similarities, your work goes in its own unique direction. You see the dandelion as not a weed, but as a universe of possibilities, with its own marvels that most mortal eyes are unable to see. It takes a true artists to find beauty in something that most people ignore, its a gift you have given to the dandelion, thank you so much for recommending this, it is a great appraisal of a flowering underdog.
this is a poem, like some books and movies i've read/seen, which starts out in [FOR ME] an unimpressive way. the rhyming is ok and it is NOT a bad stanza #1, but i was not enthused about continuing. of course i would continue, because i almost always do and because Stephen is a PH friend. WELL, ............... I WAS VERY PLEASANTLY REWARDED! the rest of the poem is marvelous. i tend to like longer lines, and the remaining stanzas were much more meaty, with charm? yes, maybe charm. Please just read the previously made comments by other readers and i won't have to say any more. this poem shall go to MyPoemList. BUT of course I WILL say more! Slow out of the gate, but a real winner in the stretch and at the finish line! ! ! favorite lines: Then sat beside a dandelion in the shade, (I'd missed it earlier with my spade) And wondered how it had been made An elder sister looked rather odd, A tightly packed green pod. Her hair was a tuft of white, Dreaming of future flight ..................... a great description! i have seen this plenty of times. i gathered some dandelion leaves for my 'home boss' to cook just the other day. and: ...queen of weeds, ...............inspired! While seeds fly off to germinate, I've learnt a way to meditate. - - - - - - - - - - - - i do suggest one thing here: You'd like it too if you dare................. instead of you, i think you'd would be better; it follows the first You'd in the line. my ‘home boss’ and I have decided to let part of our large back yard grow up ‘wild’. not only will it save on gas and wear and tear on the lawnmower AND me, but it will supply us with a natural meadow of long grass, ‘weeds’, and wildflowers to enjoy as we look down on it from window or deck. :) bri kudos to the cartoonist!
Great advice Bri. I've cut out the first few lines and I much prefer the poem now.
Dandelions though not a highly celebrated plant are attractive with yellow flowers! They are supposed to be the harbingers of spring and they flower in summer! The time spent in the garden and the sights you have had there are beautifully passed on to the readers! The seeds like fluffy specks of cotton, flying in the air and finally settling here and there is indeed a beautiful sight!
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/23/2024 12:17:43 PM # 1.0.0.1119
What a wonderful way to immortalise a humble dandelion in words! has any other poet spent so long gazing so deeply at this flower? Some beautiful phrases, especially ' tuft of white, Dreaming of future flight.' So enjoyable to read and bearing a message we need to hear - to take a moment to look deeper to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Well done Stephen - 10/10 Five gold (dandelion gold!) stars