@jonyoudyer // on poppies.

A poppy
sometimes misunderstood:
blamed for 70,000 deaths
in a year —
In the country I was born,
but hesitate to call my own.
It is my own, of course,
as opium is the milk
that drips off poppy stems.

Responsible for sleepy eyes
and crying mamas,
and also responsible for my heart
bouncing, when I see them
especially in the wild
especially in the south of France;
a poppy brings me joy
in the healthiest of ways,
and so I cannot judge
based on misuse
by doctors
and billionaires
who do not care
how tired children
long to feel okay.

I cannot know
If you relate,
or if you love them
as I do.
I can only hope
that you don’t love them
as others might.

this flower was meant
to exist
in a field,
uncultivated
by monsters
turning lives
to money and mush.

@jonyoudyer guessed a flower correct on my flower challenge: https://steemit.com/flower/@mo-nique/flower-challenge

Looks like this guy knows his plants 🌱 ❤️

If YOU want a poem too, check out that post and guess away ;)

xx Monique

ps. Sorry @jonyoudyer that your poem got a little dark, I will try to think of a more cheerful poppy related poem, but this was what appeared on the page when I started thinking.