#Sunflowers

28 messages · Page 1 of 1 (latest)

rapid snow
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In a barren garden, the sunflowers rise,
Gold against the grey of clouded skies,
Deprived of the sun they were made to need,
Yet standing tall like a stubborn and unkillable creed.

This garden was once a homeland of million hands,
Fed by the faithful and tended by those it commands,
But the same mouths it served, have turned to devour,
Gnawing its roots in their hunger for power.

They were never the fruit, they were always the ground,
But excess made tyrants of those who were found,
They dress their betrayal in duty and creed,
And the world bows head to the narrative they feed.

They wear their corruption like medals of grace,
And the world celebrates what it cannot yet face.
They parade as it’s guardian, noble and blessed,
While the world applauds the wolves they’ve professed.

For power is patient and it poisons by degrees,
It hollows the shepherd and corrupts what it frees,
And what once was human grows rotten and thin
When the pest that destroys it was always within.

Yet the sunflowers hold. Bent, but never bowed.
They face no sun, but they refuse the shroud.
The roots may bleed until they drain,
But what defies the dark will outlast pests’ reign..

One day, sunflowers will grow under sunshine,
Tyrants will perish and free will be Palestine.

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north raven
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this is one of the best poems I have ever read

fathom falconBOT
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deep ibex
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This is so beautiful.
The last line hits hard, I really hope it comes true soon.

north raven
rapid snow
rapid snow
rapid snow
crude mist
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What makes this poem compelling is how it fuses political grief with allegorical imagery instead of relying purely on direct rhetoric. The sunflower motif gives the piece emotional continuity; rather than becoming a straightforward political statement, the poem frames resistance as something organic, persistent, and almost inevitable.
The opening is especially strong:
“In a barren garden, the sunflowers rise,
Gold against the grey of clouded skies,”
The color contrast immediately establishes the poem’s visual language. “Gold against the grey” does more than create scenery it positions the sunflowers as living defiance within decay. The image feels cinematic without becoming overwrought.
This line is probably the emotional anchor of the first stanza:
“Deprived of the sun they were made to need,
Yet standing tall like a stubborn and unkillable creed.”
The phrase “made to need” is important because it emphasizes unnatural deprivation. The sunflowers are not weak; they are surviving in conditions fundamentally hostile to their existence. Calling them an “unkillable creed” transforms them from plants into collective memory, identity, and endurance.
The second stanza deepens the allegory effectively:
“This garden was once a homeland of million hands,
Fed by the faithful and tended by those it commands,”
The garden becomes both nation and inheritance. “Million hands” creates a sense of generational labor and belonging, while the shift into:
“the same mouths it served, have turned to devour”
introduces betrayal through bodily imagery. The movement from feeding to devouring is especially effective because it turns dependence into consumption.

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One of the strongest conceptual moments is:
“They were never the fruit, they were always the ground,”
This is an excellent line. It reframes the people not as products of the land, but as its foundation itself. The metaphor gives the conflict existential weight harming the people becomes equivalent to poisoning the soil that sustains everything.
The poem also handles the psychology of power surprisingly well for a politically charged piece:
“For power is patient and it poisons by degrees,”
That line stands out because it shifts the poem from external accusation into a broader meditation on corruption. The idea that power corrodes gradually rather than explosively gives the piece philosophical depth beyond immediate political outrage.
Similarly:
“And what once was human grows rotten and thin
When the pest that destroys it was always within.”
is one of the poem’s darkest insights. The “pest” is no longer external; corruption becomes internalized decay. That metaphor elevates the poem from national struggle into commentary on moral erosion itself.
The final sunflower image returns beautifully:
“Yet the sunflowers hold. Bent, but never bowed.”
The alliteration and rhythm here give the line a quiet resilience. “Bent” acknowledges suffering honestly, while “never bowed” preserves dignity. The poem understands that endurance does not require invulnerability.
The closing couplet:
“One day, sunflowers will grow under sunshine,
Tyrants will perish and free will be Palestine.”
functions more as declaration than metaphor. After the layered allegory of the earlier stanzas, the poem intentionally removes ambiguity and speaks directly. That shift works emotionally because the poem has already earned its conviction through imagery rather than slogans alone.

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One small criticism: there are moments where the poem leans slightly too heavily on generalized abstractions like “duty,” “creed,” “power,” and “corruption” in close succession. The imagery-driven sections are far stronger than the explicitly declarative ones because they allow the political meaning to emerge naturally through symbol and atmosphere. Lines like:
“They wear their corruption like medals of grace,”
work well because they visualize hypocrisy, whereas some surrounding statements tell the reader what to think more directly.
Still, the poem’s greatest strength is its control of tone. It remains mournful and defiant without collapsing into pure anger. The sunflower metaphor gives the piece continuity, humanity, and hope, allowing the political message to feel rooted in survival rather than rhetoric alone.
At its core, the poem argues that oppression may dominate temporarily, but it cannot permanently extinguish what has already taken root in identity, memory, and collective endurance.

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Wonderful as always

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As expected from one of my favourite poets

north raven
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if you thought

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it's by @rapid snow

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Allahumma barik

fathom falconBOT
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@crude mist is now following @rapid snow.

crude mist
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I loved this I apologise for the confusion

rapid snow
crude mist
rapid snow
crude mist
rapid snow
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@north raven sorry for the ping, just wanted to confirm something, I’m afraid they’d even consider it Islamic poetry to be posted there, do you think it’s okay to post there?

north raven
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you'll see I posted many poems there even my own

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and your poem is really good I'm sure they'll appreciate it