Lucien's Birthday Poem by Ellie Schoenderfeld

Yes, a dandelion

because they are the flower

of wishes. You blow that ball

of seeds and the wind carries them to the one

assigned to grant or reject.

And it’s a good thing

that it’s the dandelions

who have this power

because they are tough

and sometimes you have to be tough

to even remember

that you have any desires left at all,

to believe that even one

could be satisfied, would not turn

to an example of

“be careful what you wish for,

it might come true.”

Maybe that’s exactly why

there are so many of them -

the universe gives us extra chances

to keep dreaming.

Each one an uprising,

a burst of color

in the cracks of our hearts,

sunrise

at an unexpected time,

in an unexpected place.

—Ellie Schoendfeld's “Lucien's Birthday Poem"

Context

I ran across a reference to this poem while I was reading a text for a BYU evaluation class.  I was learning about how nature (and the universe) has a pattern of being adaptive and resilient.  (E.g. A forest can grow to maturity after being burned to the ground.)

Purpose

The author invites her readers to appreciate the embodiment of second-chances in dandelions. Schoendfeld wrote this poem because she believes in the chance for new beginnings. She wants her readers to have hope in this universal pattern as well.  However, that message is not easily explained by description, so she employs the abstract metaphor of a dandelion to illustrate this principle.  (Meaning is often further elucidated through the sharing our diverse interpretations of the poem with one another.)

Main Message

Dandelions are opportunities for rebirth in our lives.  They constantly grow up in the cracks of our hearts and we never know which one will grant us our wish.  We are constantly wishing on dandelions—becoming, releasing old beliefs/truths, and regrowing again with a sure hope of happiness one day.

Interpretation

How does this thought offer hope?  Regardless of the horrors and ugliness of life, and the resulting desires one may have to wilt out of existence like a rose, the human spirit will persist and life will offer us another second chance—whether we like it or not—like a dandelion.  As our old wishes decay and fall apart like dandelions, the universe pops up another potential dream before us.  We are then presented with the choice to pluck it and give it a blow or just watch it die.  There must be a purpose or meaning behind why metaphorical dandelions are in our lives. We're not going anywhere, so why not try to attain a happier existence while we're here?

Reflection

What do you believe is the meaning of this cyclical existence?  Are we pure biology or does our existence have more meaning? Has God given us a unique calling that we are here to  discover?  Is our purpose on earth to learn something specific? Are we all trying to learn the same thing?  Do we need others to figure it out what that thing is?

Provocative idea

Who's to say that dandelions are bad?  Kids think they are AMAZING!  Only adults have a problem with them. We commonly perceive the perfect lawn to be totally green.  On the other hand, home owners typically agree that dandelions are weeds (not flowers), which plague our manicured seas of green and, if left unchecked, replace the grass and turn the yard into an ocean of yellow and brown death. But is there not beauty also found in the life cycle of this "pestilent" organism to which humans can so easily relate?  Who wants a pristine, effortless life?  Jesus Christ certainly didn't.  He sought out and blew his dandelions for the sinners, the sick, and the poor—those who he wasn't sure would accept him, but he never stopped trying.

Departing Question

What question do you think Ellie is responding to with this poem?  I think this poem was the birthday card that accompanied a bouquet of blossomed dandelions.