appallingly beautiful
colorful, grotesque
see the countless blossoms--
marigold, lily, hyacinth,
daisy, rose, lavender,
violet, crocus, jacaranda--
an alphabet of flowers
dancing over miles
all for you
every one for the taking
reach out with your perfect hands
and choose one
rip one
from the deep safety
of Mother Earth

and which have you chosen?
me, the plain one;
a dandelion
fading to white dust
in this field of beauty
only to be picked
by you
my sunlight
my rain
my everything
and I thought for so long
that I would remain invisible
forever hiding
from my fear
my agony
my terrible attraction

you must know something
something I do not realize
just yet;
there is a piece unseen
by me
or anyone
until you came
in all your radiance
and stole me away
from my safe, dark hole
here in the warm embrace
of Mother Earth

what is it that you see?
I am plain and pale;
I am but a dandelion
rooted in this exquisite
this disgusting
this lovely wasteland
this graveyard
this foul paradise
where pseudo-love flourishes
between the stems
among the leaves
and then evaporates
come morning

I beseech you: why me?
my gold has long since faded
and I am now weak
fragile
ready to float away
into the sky
and camouflage with the clouds
and rain down
upon children's faces;
delighted at the parachutes
the tiny flying dancers
scattering weeds
seeds
spreading their disease
across the Mother Earth
from whence they grew
under her loving care
under your golden light

maybe you look at me
and see
not a slave
not one who basks
forever
in your warmth,
but simply
a source of affection
the tiny flying dancers
of my expression
spinning
sending you shining tokens
petals
from me
fragments
of my adoration

I try
every day I try
to tell you
to show you
how much I care
how deep
my love flows
to the very core
of our Mother Earth
and yet
it is not enough for me;
you may be satiated
but I cannot give enough;
you may destroy me
but my heart is yours
until your sun sets
and I float away
to your endless horizon