Nobody Loves a Dandelion

Nobody Loves a Dandelion
by Joseph Furnari

I am trampled on, dug out, pulled from the earth, sprayed
with chemical to dry me up and shrink back into the earth
This is my life, the life of a dandelion. Nobody loves a
dandelion.
I can grow anywhere, in a field where no one goes. I can spread
out hundreds of bright golden yellow petals giving glory to the
day.
My most cherished moment came when I sprouted in an unusual
place, because my power to grow comes from within. I can grow
anywhere.
It happened this way. There in the gutter where the hard cement
sidewalk clung to the black dry asphalt, a little green began to
sprout. When I opened my petals, there I was trapped between
these two surfaces. Still I proudly shone in the sun.
A little girl with golden ringlets in her hair came upon me. She looked
at me and smiled. Suddenly she yanked my stem from its moorings.
I thought, "Here I go again."
I realized this was different. She did not toss me aside. Cradled in her
hands, softly, she ran quickly to her home. She pushed the door aside.
It was then I saw her. Sad, tired, her shoulders sagged, her life hard as
cement, black as asphalt. Excited the little girl shouted. "Mommy, look
what I have for you." She gently placed the dandelion flower in her
mother’s hand and softly she whispered, "I love you Mommy."
It took a child’s love to see the power that was within this flower we call
dandelion. Because of this child’s love, this dandelion will forever be known
as the flower of God’s love in the world.