She paints a different scene
different from the devastation of war.
One of deep meaning to her people.
Far from crimson-orange flames,
bomb bursting flares in night skies,
blood-stained rubble covered streets.
She paints a girl with auburn hair
back to us, looking out at sunburst sky
in the midst of dandelion fields.
Beautiful broadleaf perennial weed,
dandelions bloom brightly yellow,
steep in teas and make fine wine.
Notoriously challenging to remove,
ten-inch-long taproots deep in soil
tenaciously hold their place in earth.
Sunflowers may be the national flower,
but this upstart weed personifies her people.
Strength, perseverance, and beauty,
just as she painted, the dandelion field.
Written for Poetics Tuesday at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets around the globe. Mish is hosting and gives us an inspiring, beautiful and timely prompt, acquainting us with Ukrainian artist, Vika Muse. We are to select one of her remarkable paintings and be inspired by it. As Mish writes: “During this unfathomable yet very real situation in her homeland, let us bask in the light of her artistry and be a reflection of light with our words.”
The work of Vika Muse can be found on Instagram at @get.muse and is featured on the website http://www.inprnt.com (just do a search on this site for Vika Muse and all her artwork will come up). I selected her piece, The Dandelion Field.
dVerse pub opens at 3 PM Boston time, featuring this prompt.
lillian the home poet 
Oh the strength of that root… that is a tall order to weed out a culture like that
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I loved this piece of artwork and did some research on dandelions. Such a wonderful metaphor for the Ukrainian people.
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Children thriving under harsh conditions are called dandelion children in Sweden…
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Aww, Lil. This brought me to tears.I think the prompt has really rocked me LOVED your approach. Your poem is such a beautiful tribute to her strength.
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Thank you, Mish. I am so taken by her artwork and your words in this prompt. It is one I feel an actual part of…rather than simply writing for dVerse…if that makes sense?
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I love how you brought it back to this tenacious flower (they are flowers, not weeds to me) with its long roots. This is so beautifully written, Lillian!
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Thank you so much, Merril. I was just so taken with her art and this prompt.
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You’re welcome. It was a very special prompt!
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We all are rising to the challenge. Your dandelion metaphor resonates, instructs and inspires. Thanks. My poem is dark, but so are the times.
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“Sunflowers may be the national flower,
but this upstart weed personifies her people.
Strength, perseverance, and beauty,”
Bravo, Luv it.
Thanks for dropping by to read mine
Much💜love
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What a beautiful work and so inspiring to read Lillian. I love how it personified the brave and courageous people of Ukraine. Love this one.
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Beautifully written, and so clearly heartfelt too.
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“tenaciously hold their place in earth.”
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Loving the photo choice, symbolic of strength, beauty and life.
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The strength in the photo and your words are so inspiring, great write! 💙💛
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You selected exactly the right piece of artwork to go with your poem giving strength and power to Ukrainian people. It is painted based on the two symbolic colors of Ukraine, yellow and blue.
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An ode to dandelions. Wonderful, and a very good metaphor. Did you know that some people believe the root to hold strong medicinal potential? I hope that helps in the healing that will inevitably (and hopefully soon) come.
Very well written poem.
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oh, wow! So an amazing poem. Very inspiring for me. Thanks to your poem my painting has a deep inner sense understandable to everyone now. Thank you!💛💙
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Such an amazing write on the strength of the weed and what it symbolises!
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Wonderfully written, illustrated with your words, full of strength and endurance! The dandelion is such a great example of resilience!
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