“The Flower Thinking” by Lakelynn Amelia

Lakelynn Amelia (age 5)

THE FLOWER THINKING

after a photograph of Sulphur Cosmos by Gail Goepfert

Do the flowers smell? How do the flowers look? How do they look on top—their petals? How does the pollen look? Maybe they smell good. Hugs and kisses to the flower. I kissed a flower for real, and I loved the flower. Are they in a meadow? How do the stems look? They make me think about roses. They make me think of clouds. They make me think I’m seeing things—lines in the sky and clouds shaped like dragons. They make me think of the family that loves these flowers. They’re picking them out of my sight, see? They make me think about flowers—lots and lots and lots of different flowers. They make me think about you. They make me think of my Daddy and you. Este, I think that’s Spanish for flower. They make me think they’re butterflies. What is the part of the flower that holds it all in? It makes me think of a hypofkist—I’m pretty sure that’s part of a spider or an arachnid. How do the clouds above them look? What color are the flowers? What color can the flowers be? They make me think of a whale. They make me think of Moby Dick because he’s a whale, and I’ve never seen one. I imagine these are whale flowers. How many leaves are on the stem? You make me think of the whole wide world, flower.

from 2016 Rattle Young Poets Anthology

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Lakelynn Amelia: “I like to write poetry because it relaxes me, but in a way that makes me feel energized and powerful at the same time.”

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