Sunflowers, Vol. 2

 When I first wrote about them, 

I had no intention of creating a series.  But, they are impossible to ignore. I was doing laps and admiring this at every other turn,

until I stopped and watched my planter become a cafeteria, an automat, a free lunch kitchen for three and then four little yellow finches.  They* were balanced on the lower leaves' petioles,

nibbling on the stems and the leaves 

and the petioles themselves. 

The flowers are happily untouched as they begin to unfurl at the top of the highest stem.

And when they begin to fade away, 

they leave orange tentacles to attract the birds who might be interested in what's left inside their gently wilting plumage.  

I had my Do not go gently into that good night moment, then turned to revel in the giant stalks popping up in every corner, seeds I planted in a lone pot at the far end of the yard 

Even if their ungrateful faces are facing defiantly away from she who gave them life.

*Unfortunately, you have to make do with my avian avatars since I don't swim with my phone in hand.  And, yes, chicks don't fly but they do eat bugs and they are yellow and it was the only icon with feathers, which makes a bird a bird as The Golden Book taught us so many years ago.

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