Deep rooted
Bitter leaved without much sorrow.
Bright yellowed – head back
She shouts willfully at the sun.
Proud of her persistence
Tough enough to thrive in any condition.
Cement cracks, pavement edges and abandoned fields –
Proof undesirable places are the best ones.
Color fades
Replaced by a halo.
When the winds blow
The puff scatters.
Amy Cowan, MD is a full-time hospitalist and educator at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City. She was raised by a single father on the Oregon Coast. Despite her father poisoning the dandelions in the yard every year, she identified with the hearty plant. "I grew upward out of sheer resentment." Her passion is exploring identity and clinical teaching.
