A sunflower
among sunflowers
in a sprawling field,
her face shines
brighter than the sun.
So glorious,
her luscious, golden smile
weaves its magic:
captivating poets, painters, dreamers…
as well as a wee child’s heart.
Stretching her green leaves
ever upwards,
her time has almost come.
Thousands of seeds
all set to burst
into the azure sky.
Spread their wings.
Fly around the world.
Grow new life.
Yet,
in her very prime,
when her seeds were all but ripe,
devastation hit.
Slashed from her roots,
brutally cut down,
all but decimated
by the exploding metal bird,
she was gone.
Seeds of hope.
Her seeds scattered
across the scorched earth:
tears wrenched
from her broken heart,
fused with molten metal.
Once so filled with promise,
now,
they’re just
part of the wreckage.
Yet,
plucked from the ashes
and sheltered in the strangers’ hearts,
those precious seeds
flew to foreign fields.
Found life in the Australian soil,
where they now stand tall:
still captivating poets, painters, dreamers…
as well as a wee child’s heart.
Beneath the Southern Cross,
they stand…
Ukrainian sunflowers blooming
in the Great South Land.
Rowena Newton
19th July, 2015.
To read more about these sunflower seeds, click here: https://beyondtheflow.wordpress.com/2015/07/09/seeds-of-love-plucked-from-devastation-flight-mh17/
A personal message from journalist Paul McGeogh & Kate Geraghty who sent me the sunflowers.
Beyond the Flow 
… and they attract ear-wigs! You forgot to mention that! How about:
When the sun is at its peak
And sunflowers are open wide
Ear-wigs climb up for shelter
To stay on the shadow side
But one false move by a passer by
One slight touch with nothing said
Brings gazillions of ear-wigs flying down
Upon the travellers head.
Beautifully told tribute!
Life & Faith in Caneyhead
such a tale of hope! I didn’t know the story of the seeds until today. Incredible.
You have such a way with words…a beautiful and fitting tribute to those lost and left…
I love that Ray. You have a great sense of humour. Yet, how to spoil a beautiful vision. I guess earwigs love the sunflowers as much as the rest of us do.
Than ks, Eli. It is such an incredible story. The journalist and photographer visit al sorts of war torn places and are used to tragedy but this horror really touched them and it really is a beautiful story about the goodness of people , especially when that “crash” showed humanity at it’s worst.
Thanks, Barbara.
Lovely tribute to a sad event in time and yet planting the seeds gives some kind of hope Rowena. Maybe hope that those left behind can heal.
Thanks, Kath. I am finding so much meaning in those seeds and hope that when they flower, that will bring comfort to those who lost loved ones in such an awful thing.