Resilient Lily

|dandelion|

"I am the lion in the field, crouched low,
singing in the wind songs, you know.
Colors change, colors fade-
hearts spread when you whisper your name.
A dancer with feet that soar,
I will never be who I was before.
You see me as less, but I am more,
Feeder, healer, lover of light.
The wisp swirling at your door.
Let me in, my seeds are nothing to fear.
I am rebirth, a reminder to persevere.

Rarely alone, I embrace the crowd,
our voices paint swathes of ground.
The timbre laughter, the blush of smiles,
faces you see or endless miles.
Watch me grow and watch me die,
your breath frees me to the sky."

➻

A young maiden with a green and pink butterfly clip tightly held the katana she had borrowed and took a deep breath before mumbling,

"fourth form: crimson hanagoromo."

Bright purple and pink flower petals, elegant and delicately perfumed, poured out from her sword as she slashed once. The air parted, making way for her katana to curve and twist as it cut through.

Another girl, this one with a white butterfly clip secured in her hair, clapped loudly while sitting on the grass a ways away.

"That was so cool! If I had known that breath technics could be so pretty I would have become a Demon Slayer instead of a medic!"

Kanao, who had yet to break a sweat, readied her katana, preparing to practice another technic before replying without losing focus,

"No, you still wouldn't have."

She said it cooly, merely stating a fact that the two girls both knew to be true. Kagome laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of her head before agreeing.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right."

When Kagome caught sight of big, yellow dandelions, she got an idea. Crawling on her hands and knees she left her spot on the grass and went to the small weed.

Kanao said nothing when she noticed her friend crawling around in the grass like a dog, she merely ignored her and continued with her training.

Once Kagome had collected all of the dandelions in the grass and successfully avoided getting in Kanao's way, she went back to her original spot and plopped back down, and got to work.

By the time she was finished, Kanao was done with her warmups so she was drinking water to not become dehydrated.

Kagome walked over to Kanao with the finished product and set it on her sweaty head.

"A crown made of dandelions?"

Kagome nodded and went back to her spot and grabbed another one to put on her own head.

"Why dandelions? Why not something actually beautiful?" Kanao questioned, taking her crown off and examining it. It was obvious from the way the stems were bent and the slightly smooshed blooms that Kagome wasn't very good at making flower crowns, yet. Kanao knew that if Kagome cared enough- which Kagome probably did- she would continue to practice until she was the best at making them, no matter how much dandelions or time it took.

"Is it because they aren't beautiful?"

It made sense since Kagome could mess up as many times as she wanted. Nobody cared if she destroyed or used all of the dandelions in the yard. Using actual flowers was a different story.

"No, I used them because I think they're beautiful. Besides, weeds are flowers," Kagome said in a matter of fact tone.

Curious. Only Kagome would think that dandelions are beautiful.