I was thrilled to win first place in the poetry division of the All Write Now! Conference contest this year with the following poem. I hope it inspires you!
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You were the sunflower seed I hid inside the time capsule
twenty-five years ago, buried
in the fall of my thirteenth year.
I dropped you in the metal lunchbox
along with hologram stickers, a rhinestone ring, my favorite
purple pen, and a crinkled copy of van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
I unearthed you this spring, lifted the rusted
metal from the earth, and marveled
how you survived, intact
through drought, freezes, and storms.
I held you in my hand one moment longer
studying your stripes
before I dropped you in the garden
and covered you again, this time in earnest.
How quickly you grew, pushing out
new green leaves from your sturdy stalk
to soak in the sun’s energy.
How prolific you became, sending out
branch after branch, promising
dozens of seed heads.
In the blazing heat and punishing winds
I feared your collapse
but you stood strong.
Oh, the glorious day
your face opened brilliant
to summer’s dawn!
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If you enjoyed this poem, you may also enjoy these others:
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