AHM’s 9th Anniversary: “the audacity of poppies” by Farin Martinez

on the bustling campus footpath 
an audacious red poppy pops 
out of the earth alone
not a single other scarlet around her,
that loud proud poppy
doesn’t even hug her petals around herself 
or shiver from the wind and rain

she spreads her petals open
for all the world to admire
no one can disturb her peace
not the wind, not the rain, 
not the cowering orange poppies
the supposed golden children
not the weeds or the grass or the trees

daring red stands solo, 
independent, tall and beaming 
bold 
   and 
      laughing
letting the rain and wind hit her face
disallowing anything from stealing her joy,
her peace, her contentment

she can't even take her petals with her when she dies
her life won't last longer than next season
but she doesn't need her elegant robes or 
more days to live; 
she's already figured it out:
contentment
like the Buddha
her spirit is joyful

Farin Martinez is a writer and yoga teacher in Fresno, California, navigating the delightful chaos of parenting two teenagers while chasing ultramarathon podiums and an MFA in Creative Writing at Cedar Crest College. A former journalist who traded headlines for more haunted heartlines, she now splits her time between memoir, poetry, magical short stories, and dark flash fiction.