Sunflower Songs but no Van Gogh

"If I remember the sunflower forest it is because from its hidden reaches man arose. The green world is his sacred center. In moments of sanity he must still seek refuge there." — Loren Eiseley


Sunflowers for a Friend
Stephen B. Watley

THE SUNFLOWER SONG 

by Loren Eiseley

When the red cardinal comes to the window ledge, I feed him
sunflower seeds that's brought from places that I know
and he will never see:   waste fields far west
drear country that I own
nor can I relinquish it ~ my brain, that is, my brain that holds
this lifetime setting in a city street.  The cardinal lifts his crest
and recognizes
seed he's never seen upon a flower, knows how to split them,
flies off, and presently, it being spring, his voice floats down,
"cheer,    cheer,"
with many other

Sunrise over Sunflowers
Aaeannao Na&#
trills and soft whistles all intent on shepherding
some cardinal lady into this year's nest. The sound
comes down to me. I think upon these seeds now being spun
by some adroit bird magic into notes that move
more than a bird's heart. Oh dear God, how far
the golden yellow of the sunflowers now, far off as youth, far off
by twice a thousand miles, and faces lost
deep in the sunflower thickets underneath the loam.
Sunflowers by Nino
This bird sings on high in the apple tree, the notes sprinkle the ground like petals, like all springs that went awry a score of years ago and twist the heart with sweet blind pain and
unresolved regret I tell myself
it is the seeds that sing, that, without seeds,
the cardinal could not sing, and seeds are brought
up from the leaf mould underneath the dark, formed, shaped
within a flower's heart, encased and strewn
for any bird, like those piano scrolls we pumped at in our youth,
the music sounding
all through the house, so here the brisk red cardinal
sings a bright sunflower song dissolving
Cardinal by Poppy


the sullen silence of this eastern spring. I think this bird a miracle to so transform a seed, but then I think the flower also a miracle and so work down to earth, the one composer no one has ever seen but all have heard."Cheer," I say it on the page, "cheer, cheer," my fingers stiff. I eat one of his sunflower seeds and try
again.
Sunflowers by Jedzer
And finally...
with all this fanciful talk and imagery of sunflowers, there must be music for sunflowers
and here it is...

Comments

  1. Hi Sarah! Yes, I did choose those and the poem is from a larger work by Eiseley, a writer and anthropologist of whom I am very fond. Thanks for reading.

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  2. We all hold a sunflower forest in our heart – even if we’ve never seen one. Regrets – perhaps. But I too chose celebration in a Sunflower Song. Why not?
    Thanks for the treat!
    Russ

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  3. Thanks Russ! You made it and you made my day! What a nice surprise and a wonderful comment. Thank you my friend.

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  4. Look how they always turn to face the light, so hopeful, so responsive to their primal urges. It's lovely to think of a sunflower forest.

    Love the cardinal, too. We don't have them in the Pacific NW, but when I lived in Maryland I looked forward to them all winter and was rewarded in spring and summer.

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  5. Yes, Meri. That must have been wonderful. I have never seen a cardinal except when I was quite small and I don't remember now. I do recall seeing a sunflower forest though when I was in the South of France. It had been raining and the sun peeked through the clouds and shone brightly and they all turned their hopeful faces toward the light at one time it seemed. I actually saw it happen. I only wish I had had a camera. So beautiful!

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  6. Is that painting yours? It's just beautiful! What a lovely cascade of photos!

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  7. Hi Joanna. No, the painting isn't mine. I wish it were, but I adore sunflowers. They were my mom's favorite flower and always make me think of her. Thank you very much. I am so glad you enjoyed the photos! Do drop by again. You are always welcome.

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  8. Noelle: My late wife Karen's favorite flower was the sunflower; always looking to the light. These pictures remind me of her. Thank you.

    Peace;
    James Overheul

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  9. Hi Jim,
    I am very glad that it is a good memory for you. Peace to you my friend.
    Noelle

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  10. I LOVE "Sunrise over Sunflowers"  and I'd like to use it as part of a non-profit teen retreat I'm helping to supervise. Do you know how I would get permission to use this picture?

    ReplyDelete
  11. I LOVE "Sunrise over Sunflowers"  and I'd like to use it as part of a non-profit teen retreat I'm helping to supervise. Do you know how I would get permission to use this picture?

    ReplyDelete
  12. I LOVE "Sunrise over Sunflowers"  and I'd like to use it as part of a non-profit teen retreat I'm helping to supervise. Do you know how I would get permission to use this picture?

    ReplyDelete
  13. I LOVE "Sunrise over Sunflowers"  and I'd like to use it as part of a non-profit teen retreat I'm helping to supervise. Do you know how I would get permission to use this picture?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Sorry about the Spam  :D

    ReplyDelete

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