Lean On Me

Dandelion Siblings – Photo: L. Weikel

I don’t even know what initially caught my eye about these two. They were simply on the side of the road, minding their own business. The first thing I think I noticed was how closely they were huddled. They looked like siblings – and yet from another perspective they appeared to have had very different life experiences. It looked as if one was saying to the other, “It’s OK. You can lean on me.”

A gust of wind caught them just right. Their heads started bobbing and bowing, calling my attention to the distinctive appearance one had from the other. I wondered to myself how their experiences could’ve been so different when they so obviously grew up in an almost identical environment.

But upon closer inspection, it was as if one had been caught in a rainstorm or something. Its magic seed pods clumping together instead of fanning out in the traditional parachute-like canopy.

They were each delicately beautiful in their own unique ways. And when I photographed them together, their differences seemed to highlight each of their best characteristics.

Another Gust of Wind

When another gust of wind caught all of a bit off guard, I got a shot from a perspective I probably wouldn’t have sought otherwise. The stems of dandelions are not usually a focal point when I gaze upon them. From tightly clenched bud to brilliant expression of pure sunshine, I rarely look at the stem. That holds true for when they go to seed and become puffy wish givers as well.

But when I saw the bend in the stem, I knew why one looked sadder than the other. Somehow, in some way, life had dealt one of them a harder blow than the other. One of these dandelions was operating at a disadvantage. Its stem, while unbroken, was nevertheless askew. And a bent stem never seems to heal all the way.

No wonder the other seemed to hover protectively.

Did it sense its sibling had taken a hit, albeit from a passing car, a careless footstep, or perhaps even wild storm? Was one whispering in the ear of the other, “Just lean on me. We’re almost there.”

I have no idea; I doubt it, though. But one thing I don’t doubt is that together they appeared exquisitely beautiful in the moments I spent with them.