These are my sunflowers. Ever since I saw our old neighbors' sunflowers peeking over the wall at our last house, I've wanted to try to grow them. How can you be unhappy looking at a sunflower? Is it even physically possible? The third picture is a typical roadside, New Mexico sunflower like you'd find up near Harding County. They're hardy but only one of the six I planted has done well. Supposedly they came from Kansas when the wagons coming down the Santa Fe Trail came through.
The first two pics are jumbo sunflowers. They love it here and grew really tall. But then a big windstorm last week blew them all over. I was so sad about it (and other worldly news that their blowing over seemed symbolic…you know how you do?).
But this morning I propped them back up and I noticed they're still kickin' it. Some new blooms are coming in, bent over or not. And wouldn't you know, the prompt this week amazingly applies. I actually did the drawing and haiku days ago when the flowers were still sad and blown over.
The Prompt: The Perseverance of Sunflowers
Again this week's prompt comes from the Zen by the Brush book by Myoshi Nancy O'Hara.
"Everything
Changes in this world
But flowers will open
Each spring
Just as usual."
– Zen Poem
First task is to sit for a meditation on that for 5-10 minutes or however long you feel is good to you.
The Drawing
My Haiku
…inspired by my drawing:
Bending sunflower
Bends to the year and season.
But next year resumes.
The Reflection
Drawing flowers! That's my jam! My sunflower leaf is about to do a high, showgirl kick. I feel better now.
How about you?
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