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Was it a giant sunflower floating across the
Longsuffering dirt front of that
Bedraggled apartment building?

I smiled
My heart lifted

Was that miserable landlord ascending
to some newfound level of decency?

I drew closer to see what was afoot

My flower became human
A boy, maybe 12 or 14,
A child really
Helping his dispirited momma
Pull groceries from the back of that
Forlorn old car.

My imagined stem—a vibrant pair of lime green swimming trunks;
My flower top—a curly round puffball of Bumblebee colored hair.

Did he long for a trip to the beach?
Did she wonder how she would keep him fed?

What existed for this little family
Beyond the beauty of the boy,
And the mother’s despair?

Please divine one, a miracle,
I sent up a petition
In exchange for the smile they’ve
So unknowingly given

Jane Ellen Holliday Wilson
June 11, 2019
After the long rain