Unsung Offerings

Dandelion leaves like lions’ teeth

turn up everywhere

with yellow faces like champions in their midst

serving spring nectar to hungry pollinators.

They show up early and stay late,

then depart sending fluffy parachutes

off in the wind to new venues.

Not idle guests

their taproots pull up nutrients

that fertilize grass.

When consumed they ease muscle aches,

joint pain, digestive distress, and more.

Their roots loosen hard soil,

aerate the earth, reduce erosion.

They handle their own planting.

Their every cell is edible.

And they’re sturdy as a girder.

These lion’s teeth

with their unsung offerings

come from seeds we never see.

They reach.

They grow.

They work for free

though so many perish

in a hateful reign of annihilation

with hoe and trowel.

First published by The Fictional Café August 18, 2019

Photo by Karly Jones on Unsplash