Blowing Dandelions

Written by Joy Zhang from Iolani School, Honolulu, Hawaii

I step onto the prairie.

The air is fresh.

A wandering wind

sweeps my hair across my face,

hiding me momentarily.

Before me, a field of dandelions

blooms,

rising from rich soil.

I reach for one.

Stubbornly,

it resists–

rooted as if it knows

what I have done.

If even a dandelion refuses me,

what hope do I have—

of release?

of forgiveness?

At last, risen, plucked,

I gently blow upon the flower.

The white pappi drift far,

parachuting off into their own destinies.

My shoulders drop;

my chest untightens.

It feels like a wave

just surged to shore,

where everything is now swept,

where everything that is not now

is let go,

where all is forgiven.

The past forgives me,

so why wouldn't I?

I forgive me.

Artist Statement:

My poem “Blowing Dandelions” fits this year’s theme of Peace because it shows that true peace starts with forgiveness. Throughout this poem, the speaker struggles with immense guilt and feels unable to move on. Blowing dandelion seeds into the wind symbolises the release of the weight she carried in the past. Peace is not about living with remorse every day. It’s impossible to change what has happened, but you can let go and forgive yourself in the end. My poem shows how peace is found through acceptance, moving on, and forgiveness.