Løvetann

Løvetann are dandelions in her language, 
like the teeth of a lion in the city of Leuven, 
and a løvetann child is a child that rebounds
like a dandelion after it’s been trampled on, 
the opposite of a tree like a birch that stiffens 
after frost, subdued or bent down, 
the branches never stand up again, 
not like the child who jumps into a sea 
of green surf with yellow stars.  
Impossible to break a bone in your body, 
but if you do, we’ll put a brace on your arm
and it’ll fix like a cake rising in the oven.

Laurence O’Dwyer | I must use everything I’ve learned
Contents | Mudlark No. 79 (2024)