Something different — Ode to a weed

Because why not?

Photos by me

Welcome to your Saturday Side Quest.

Side Quest (noun), as defined by the Urban Dictionary: An impromptu adventure or diversion undertaken by an individual, typically outside the realm of one’s primary goals or responsibilities, often characterized by spontaneous actions and unconventional activities.

Startling and bright, you appear fully formed as if snapped into existence at the whim of some minor god of that which dwells beneath our feet and notice. Open and full, you are a miniature sun anchored in a green sky, upside down and winking at Helios up in the heavens. Petals arrayed in a burst of canary gold sing an invitation to early risen workers in striped uniforms who trace dance steps through the air before alighting to tangle themselves in the tiny, dusted tendrils that lick and curl from between demure petals with an enticing offer that cannot be refused.

Overnight, you are transformed into a diaphanous moon. Where once you shone bright like a beacon, now you sway alone in the breeze, no longer interested in the affections of flying suitors. You have more important work to do. For a while, you float at the end of your earthly tether, a perfect lunar orb, soft and translucent. But there are new galaxies to seed, so you sigh and let the flirtatious zephyr coax tiny pieces of yourself to take flight. One by one, memory by memory, you wane. All the while smiling in secret victory.

In the moment before you are completely spent and surrender to the inexorable pull of the underground, you strike a lonely pose as a bone-white star with arms that reach out to embrace a world that is no longer yours. It is alright. You are celestial now. You have performed your task. For the blink of an eye you are a bright white halo of a crown, worthy to adorn Lady Death herself. And then, you return to the underworld to feed the children who not so lately sprang from your head to try their hand at becoming suns. And so it goes.