Vox Populi
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Christine Rhein: Sunflowers
I grow them every summer,
keep the pictures
on my phone — petals
of brilliant yellow,
skies, royal blue—nothing
like gray winter,
gray tanks, headline news.
The whole world
has pictures, explosions
we hold in our palms,
villagers walking us
into farm fields
full of shrapnel. Let it not be
useless to tend
the tractors, to talk of seeds
and seedlings,
of how fast stalks grow,
buds form,
open into blooms that turn—
east, west,
before our eyes—the need
for light to live.
Copyright 2022 Christine Rhein. "Sunflowers" is included in a new poetry anthology, Busy Griefs, Raw Towns. All proceeds from the sale of the anthology are forwarded to the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to support continuing Ukraine relief efforts. More information about the anthology can be found by clicking here. Christine Rhein, formerly a mechanical engineer in the automotive industry, lives in Brighton, Michigan. Her book, Wild Flight, can be ordered from Texas Tech University Press.
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Beautiful and strong, yes.💙
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yes…
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What a strong poem. I have loved Christine Rhein’s poems for many many years!
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Yes, she has the imagination of a poet and the precision of an engineer.
Michael Simms https://www.michaelsimms.info https://www.michaelsimms.info/
Author of Nightjar https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933974435/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2 Author of American Ash https://www.amazon.com/American-Ash-Poems-Michael-Simms/dp/1933974397/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2PC9VWO127ZSF&dchild=1&keywords=american+ash+by+michael+simms&qid=1593969710&s=books&sprefix=American+ash,aps,133&sr=1-1 Founder of Autumn House Press https://www.autumnhouse.org/?method=displayPage&pagename=home Editor of Vox Populi https://voxpopulisphere.com/
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