by Wilma Ann Johnson

Dandelions and daffodils
bloom together unmolested
outside in the yard because,
at long last, the cold, damp rain has ceased and
their golden glow is appreciated.

Revel in your vernal glory, oh dandelion!
days  such as these are indeed rare.

Tomorrow when the lawn is manicured
and mowed, your flowers will be discarded
and your roots dislodged from the soil.

Such is the way of the world.

Not even the fast-fading daffodil will be able to console you,
so do not anticipate your demise,
but revel in the temporary equality of spring.

Bloom together
the cultivated freely sharing the stage
with a weed—
daffodils and dandelions—
comrades against a civilized creed.