the tiny grief of a sunflower
I step out to find this garden spent, exhausted, full. At first glance she seems so satisfied with herself, all round bellied in the kabochas, all tall and fertile in the valerian motherwort fennel, all proud and stoic in the tobacco. But I'm drawn to the giant sunflower, noticing her head tilting fiercely toward the ground. I peer up into her face. It's easy to register the enormous energy used in building her chunky stalk. Easy to notice her leaves the size of my torso, her head towering higher than a horse, and her beautiful moon face. So much effort in one short season, just to let it all go…and this one was a 'volunteer'. I wonder about the wisdom this volunteer sunflower contains, knowing that in letting go of her whole self, she's making room for a thousand other seeds to take root. How does one let go of the whole self? I imagine a moment of grief in the letting go, but also a quiet exhale as her seeds begin to drop like tears. I stand there on her roots and feel her tears become mine, dropping with as much promise as a seed can hold. thank you helianthus.
Garden Love Day this month will be on Friday, Sept. 26th, 10-1pm. This month we'll be gathering seeds, working the pathways, and clearing out the old with love and reverence, making way for new plants to surface. Children are welcome, pear trees will be waiting. Learn some new permaculture tricks and meet some new plants while gardening alongside other herbie mamas and plant geeks. Please bring any favorite tools, gloves, sunhat, snacks. We'll make sure everyone gets introduced to a new plant and gets a little dirty. Held in Sebastopol, 1 hr. drive from Oakland. email info@taprootmedicine.org to sign up.