Despite walking past it every day,
tonight is the first time I notice
the seven-foot tall sunflower
with its legions of flowers swirling
like satellites in every direction,
in my neighbor’s garden.

Suddenly I remember
tender seedlings I planted
somewhere deep inside of me
at the beginning of the summer,
and I am amazed to discover
a sturdy stalk growing
from my center, its leaves and stems
bursting out from under my clothes,
and all those soul-cracking moments
that dropped me to my knees
as I uncovered more truth
must have been the flowers
bursting into bloom.