Sunflower
Melissa Felix

Walking to class one day,
Megan revealed to me
she let ten guys screw her
by the time she was eighteen.

“They tell me how much they like me,
That they want to be my lover,
But I never see them again
Once we’ve left the covers.”

I know that I’m too slutty,
but I’ve changed my stance:
from this day forward,
I promise abstinence.”

I said, “Your petals are small like a dandelion’s,
But you are a sunflower waiting for a bee,
The bees don’t recognize you, so they stay away,
Because you think you are a weed.

Pretty enough, but not good enough for a bouquet.
The boy sees you in the grass,
He plucks you up, holds you, sniffs you,
And then tosses you back, alas.

Be the sunflower, bright and bold.
Be wary of the boys who pluck,
Wait for a bee to come to you,
And in the ground you’ll stay stuck.”

She looked a bit perplexed
and said, “I see what you mean,”
but only four months later,
her number was fifteen.