Dandelion

Sebastian Kolaj

No one speaks of the dande- 
lion’s metamorphosis 
That it opens and closes and  
Opens again with easy agility 
Releasing hundreds of  
Pillowy carousels into the air  

If only the gray hair of an 
Old man could do the same 
If only his bald head were 
As white as the Moon’s 
If only he needed a stalk as 
Light as a feather to hold up his head 
Then he would come and go  
As quietly as the dandelion 

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Sebastian Kolaj grew up in the Hudson Valley and studied Biology and Philosophy in New York City, earning his B.A. and M.A. at Fordham University. He now lives on the northside of Chicago with his wife and their dog. Kolaj volunteers at the Field Museum of Natural History and found curious intersections between empathy, observation, and natural science. He was previously published in Chronogram and the Journal of Fluorine Chemistry.