WINDFLOWERS

By John Herlihy

Windflowers the first to arrive, the last to depart,

Their showy, soft color petals betray a lonely heart.

The flower raises its head when the winds blow,

Claiming no secret that the world will never know.

The humble windflower hears the voices in the wind,

All flowers have unique echoes no one can rescind.

A windflower keeps silent, makes no effort to respond,

The voices of the other flowers struck by a magic wand.

The rose speaks of its beauty and perfection of form,

The lowly jonquil lifts its drooping head a little forlorn.

The daffodil claims a golden nectar in its yellow cups,

Dandelion seeds fly into the wind from children’s puffs.

The windflower blushes quietly in a gentle breeze unseen,

Its solitary blooms need no voice to say what they mean.