Captured Dandelions

I found them for the first time in my own backyard

They looked like slovenly-dressed dance models

Their white, puffy heads were what attracted me

“If you make a wish and blow the dandelion’s seeds, the wish will come true,” a friend had once told me.

So, I grabbed all of the dance models, just to satisfy my childhood greed, and

made seven wishes

The magical wishes weren’t grand but they did capture my need for intelligence and influence.

After committing such a praiseworthy deed,

I came back to the dandelions day after day

I loved them so much that I buried them inside of my heart

I even imagined them as my “lovely dolls,” thinking how they would appear if they were dressed in lavish clothing.

One day, the friend came to visit me and I excitedly invited her to look at my treasures that waited,

Sticking their necks out and peering at us

And I was so afraid that their pretty necks would break

But, my “friend” said contemptuously, “Who plays with these? Dandelions are not magic. Get rid of them.”

Inside, a part of my soul, my childhood desires deserted me

Yet, I looked at the dandelions, swaying in the wind and it was as if my heart was swayed in the same rhythm

I couldn’t part with them, not yet.

But I kept that part a secret.