Road side orphan

Abandoned child at the road side
Not expected to thrive and bloom
Careless seed tossed to the edges
No bright future seen for her

Lonely pale head tilted upwards
Perfect view of distant fields

Ripened seed heads shamefully hanging
Knowing they will lose her again

In sharp contrast to black faces
Bright yellow in their forgotten sun
Her stance childlike and buoyant
Theirs sinking lower toward the soil

As they meet the harvest blade wheel
Broken bracts but heads intact
No more nodding in wind time rhythm

Seed pods yielding to start again

Now she views the empty furrows
Feeling barren and not sure why
Seen by no one but the walkers

Stopped in their tracks
by her cadmium smile

© Liz Redfern
All rights reserved