my favorite flower is the lion’s tooth
the puffball cousin of the strong sunflower
fortuneteller and wishgranter
perfect
her blossom is a yellow sunlight
concentrated in tiny circles of petals
her leaves are bitter greens
an oft ignored feast grown freely in every climate
everywhere across this country
she doesn’t do limits
or lines
her seeds floating past our arbitrary borders
to spread her presence
everywhere
her roots dig deep and wide
and cannot be removed by simply digging her up
you foolish gardener
human
you think she’s a bane
to your picture perfect garden
but no
she is life after the violence
and the poison
and even after the fire
she is the survivor’s role model
a reminder
that the spirit is indestructible even when under attack
she is a resilient being
sister to the ever-returning phoenix
and still you call her
just another
weed
dandelion [poem]
Larissa Lee 