The sunflower who grew up among roses (2026)

Synopsis:

A collection of poems that blossoms from the experience of being different. In “The sunflower who grew up among roses,” the journey of a unique soul reveals the complexity of relationships, the search for belonging, and the unshakable strength of the spirit.

Prologue

There are moments 

When the thorns of roses 

Pierce me so deep 

That I look at the sun 

And beg to be taken 

To a field of sunflowers. 

I’m starting to wonder 

If this field is on Earth 

Or over the rainbow.

— The sunflower who grew up among roses

Spring

Petal 1

I was born among roses 

And the moment I opened my eyes 

I looked up at the sky 

The light shining above me was saying: 

“You don’t belong here”

Petal 2

My petals started to blossom 

As I ran and ventured beneath the sun 

He was there, so close, yet so far. 

And I was dreaming higher 

My eyes on the sun 

And my dreams in my heart

Petal 3

The patch of roses wasn’t comfortable 

Waking up every day amidst thorns 

It should be expected that some of them would pierce my stem 

But the roses were not to blame 

They kissed and bandaged my wounds. 

But on the next day, the thorns pierced me again 

Who would have thought that such a gorgeous patch of roses 

Could hold so much pain?

Petal 4

Small, pretty, and innocent roses 

In a field with no thorns and no pain 

It should be a safer patch for the little sunflower to grow 

But it wasn’t safe 

Almost as painful as where I was born 

The young roses had thorns just as sharp. 

And as the sun rose and set 

I closed off my petals 

Looking at the sun 

And burying my dreams in my heart

Petal 5

The new patch of roses 

That should mean a new beginning 

Darkened my petals 

Irremediably 

And since then 

They never turned yellow again 

And as I looked to the sun 

My only wish 

Was that the roses from that patch would wither

Petal 6

One more new beginning 

It was so easy for the roses to be planted 

Plucked 

And planted again 

But for the sunflower 

Each new beginning 

Was as painful as the first 

And yet, there I was 

Waiting for the day 

That my new beginning would be beneath the sun 

With no roses around me 

Just myself

And the sun

Petal 7

The lilies and daisies 

Made me feel at home 

At least in the beginning 

Sensible, but silent 

They’d never know why my petals fell. 

They were there when I met the blue rose 

And they were there when I met the yellow rose. 

They heard my pain 

But stayed in silence 

That’s when the trust began to fade 

They’d never know 

How I was hurt 

How I suffered in silence 

The cried evenings 

The nauseous mornings 

The petals that remained 

Now were closed off 

But the lilies and daisies 

Did not notice

Petal 8

Here we have a paradox 

That seems to have been planted 

With my seeds: 

Why do I always need 

To adapt myself to the patches of roses? 

But they can never 

Adapt to me? 

If they choose the shadows 

I’m forced to be in the shadows 

But when I need the sun 

They still want me to be in the shadows 

And say “I need to adapt myself” 

Instead of simply 

Staying under a sunshade

Petal 9

I wish I had stayed 

In the patch of roses I was born in 

Rather than being plucked 

And planted again 

Three times 

In different patches of roses 

The patch of my birth 

Despite its thorns 

Could have made me more resilient 

I hate this new garden

Summer

Petal 10

The blue rose 

Rare and so handsome 

He wasn’t for everyone’s eyes 

I wanted to get closer to him 

Maybe the blue ones were different from the red ones 

More free, more vibrant 

I believed 

That maybe I needed a patch of blue roses 

To blossom 

Like a sunflower should

Petal 11

I believed 

That I would never love someone as I loved the blue rose 

Until I met the yellow rose 

As rare and mysterious as the blue one 

The yellow rose was so vibrant 

That I mistook him for the sunlight 

I dreamed of the day the yellow rose would choose me 

And that would be my place to blossom 

Next to the yellow rose 

But the yellow rose always chose the red roses 

No matter how many times he had been hurt by their thorns. 

The pain of not having what the yellow rose could give me 

Was so strong, so intense 

That my petals started to fall 

Little by little 

And the red roses, with their thorns 

Could not comprehend 

Why my petals, 

So full and spacious 

Had disappeared so suddenly 

Of course, they couldn’t 

The only one who knew that pain 

Was the sun above 

Keeping the dreams that now 

Were nothing more than sharp objects 

In the heart of the one who let them die.

Petal 12

One day, the yellow rose introduced me to the poppies 

From far away, they seemed dangerous 

I avoided them whenever I could 

Until I finally surrendered to their company 

As time went by, I started to like them 

They made me happy, 

And made me forget the sadness 

But it was just for the moment 

Because when they were leaving I felt worse 

And even after the yellow rose left me 

The poppies remained my friends 

They were there, helping me to cope with the pain 

But it didn’t work 

It always got worse 

And it hurt 

How it hurt 

I wish I had never met them 

Just how I wish 

I had never met the yellow rose

Petal 13

One day, 

I met a young sunflower 

He was everything I wasn’t 

He was fearless and bold 

He wasn’t afraid of anything 

He always lived among roses 

And I had already learned 

To mask myself amidst them 

Even if it hurts 

All I wanted 

Was to get to know this sunflower better 

But, just as he was fearless 

He was closed off 

He thought I was just like the roses 

While I just wanted to show him 

That we were not so different.

Petal 14

If the yellow rose knew 

How much money I can make 

With his name 

And his so-called petals 

I don’t know if he’d be proud 

Or if he’d kill me 

In the first situation, 

Thank you. 

In the second, 

How can you be so sure 

That I’m talking about you 

When the painting I’m picturing 

It’s not a yellow rose 

But a violet?

Petal 15

The young sunflower 

That I long to draw near 

Is always followed by a black dahlia 

One of the most handsome flowers 

More extroverted 

And that haunts me the most 

Not because he’s different 

But instead 

Because when the sunflower avoids me 

The black dahlia goes ahead 

With smiles and treats 

And curious eyes 

That never leave my petals 

And that always 

Find mine in the afternoon 

Despite his reputation 

His smile is lovable 

Like the ones I wish 

I could get from the sunflower

Petal 16

Now the black dahlia 

Uninvited to this narrative 

Insists on occupying 

A major part of my thoughts 

Confusing the feelings 

I hide from the sunflower 

And directing them to himself

Petal 17

The sunflower and the black dahlia 

Will never notice 

How my petals blossom more beautifully 

When we share the same flowerbed 

But why would they notice anyway? 

I was planted long ago 

And they are nothing but 

New flowers in this garden

Petal 18

I’m begging right now 

To the sunflower 

And the black dahlia 

And the other roses 

That invade my flowerbed 

Stop sending 

Bees to my petals 

As I try to fall asleep

Petal 19

I thought I was dreaming 

When one night 

The young sunflower asked me to follow him 

I was busy But he never did that before 

So I followed him 

To somewhere in the flowerbed 

Far from the curious eyes of the jasmines 

Those flowers were always awake 

Even if it was late in the evening 

The young sunflower was a lot taller 

And his eyes were fixed on me 

Like the day we met 

When he ran to me in a swift motion 

Asking help with his new seeds 

“I just wanted to give you this” 

He approached so quickly 

That I could barely think 

Before I felt his lips on mine 

A kiss I’d dreamed of so many times 

Seemed too good to be really happening 

But it was happening 

It wasn’t a dream 

Suddenly, he pulled away from me 

When he heard the black dahlia calling him 

“I must go with my brother. Be here tomorrow” 

So he left, saying nothing else 

Too stunned to do anything 

I came back to the rose patch without saying a word 

And pretended to be asleep 

As the moment was still fresh in my memory 

In the end… 

I think the young sunflower 

Wasn’t so indifferent after all

Petal 20

Ever since that kiss 

The sunflower remained close 

But the black dahlia was always nearby 

They were best friends 

Raised as brothers 

It was an inseparable bond, 

I had no doubt 

But didn’t the sunflower mind 

The looks his brother gave me? 

I don’t think so 

The sunflower never said 

What we were to each other

I preferred to believe 

That his brother didn’t know about the kiss 

The black dahlia had a singular beauty 

And an intense stare 

Every time the sunflower left 

He came closer 

“Your petals smell like the sea”, 

Said he, softly touching one of them 

“I like to swim with the sharks”, 

I lied, trying to move away. 

The black dahlia subtly smiled 

“You’re a lot different from my brother. 

I love your personality” 

I did not know how to thank him 

And did not have the chance 

Because the sunflower returned 

And planted himself between me and the black dahlia 

As if nothing had happened 

The black dahlia was strangely kind to me 

And maybe that was why he scared me so much

Petal 21

The young sunflower is getting on my nerves 

And I am getting on my nerves 

For always watching 

How he looks at the sun 

And keeps fixing his petals 

As he talks to the black dahlia 

About something that only concerns 

These two inseparable friends 

Yet I keep watching 

Why? 

Why did their bees 

Always have to fly 

Above my petals?

Petal 22

I was sleeping 

When the black dahlia kissed me 

He thought it would be fun 

To play pretend “Snow White” 

But I didn’t think so 

And the worst part 

Is that the young sunflower was with him 

As always 

But he wasn’t laughing 

Just watching 

And I think that 

Was what hurt me the most

Petal 23

I ran far away 

From those wicked flowers 

I didn’t expect much from the black dahlia 

That behavior 

Suited him 

But for some reason 

I was surprised by 

The sunflower’s detachment 

But why? 

Far enough I noticed one of my petals darkening 

Again 

I was healed 

But then something happened 

For it to darken again 

As if fate laughed at me 

And said that my future 

Was to be a dark sunflower

Petal 24

The young sunflower went after me 

But I didn’t wish to listen to him 

The worst part 

Was that now in his eyes 

I was vulnerable 

He saw me being kissed 

By his best friend 

Witnessed my weakness 

In protecting myself 

He saw how frail I was 

When I should be stronger 

“I’m sorry”, said he 

However, 

I was still unwilling to listen 

There was nothing more I wanted to hear 

At the same time, I knew 

That those two would walk 

On the same fields as I 

For a long time

Petal 25

I’m starting to think 

That the young sunflower 

Is, actually, a narcissus 

Because he seems to idolize 

The lake’s reflection of him 

More than the green fields 

Around him

Petal 26

If there’s a flower I despise 

More than the dandelions 

Are the orchids 

They can be pretty 

But they’re flashy 

Loud 

And don’t like the sun

They think the world is against them 

And are hostile to the flowers that need the sun 

When the truth is 

That no one cares about them

Why 

Do 

You think 

You’re so 

Important?

The truth is I could not care less 

If “not all the orchids are the same” 

One of you 

Hurt one of the sunflowers 

That is only alive today 

Because I spent months fighting for her life

That is enough for me 

All of you deserve to burn 

Under the sun 

Just like all the flowers 

That aspire to be like you.

Petal 27

Today I left my flowerbed 

And looked for the black dahlia 

No success 

As expected 

No… 

Why am I doing this? 

What am I looking for by doing this? 

It’s been weeks 

Ever since that happened 

And I keep 

Walking behind 

The same bees 

That disturb me

Petal 28

My life would be unbearable 

If the lilies and daisies 

Knew about the young sunflower 

Or the black dahlia 

It’s been enough that they knew 

About the blue and yellow roses 

Or even the most subtle of comments 

About the lotus flower 

The loves that I lived 

That I felt

That frustrated me 

Are not their business 

Is that the reason why I rarely speak of the sun?

Autumn

Petal 29

One day, I met the forget-me-not 

The blue flower that, until then, wasn’t a part of my life. 

The forget-me-not, with a subtle whisper 

Asked for attention 

And received it 

And with the forget-me-not 

Everything changed 

But the forget-me-not was not real 

It was a reflection of my thoughts 

That, for once, felt honest 

Free 

Thoughts not contained 

That when finally free 

Made me 

Finally able to 

Rise from the earth 

And smile at the sun

Petal 30

When the forget-me-not returned 

It was furious 

And I welcomed it with open arms 

There wasn’t love 

Romance or fantasy anymore 

It manifested itself in the most lethal 

And most liberating way 

My thoughts once out 

Gave birth to two eagles 

Flesh and blood 

As cunning as snakes 

It felt like living again 

And finding new petals 

When these eagles lifted off 

A northerly one and a southerly one 

The forget-me-not said 

“Smile. Your eagles are flying towards the sun”

Petal 31

The roses that slowly wither around me 

Think they’ll leave before me 

But how many times have I looked at myself in the mirror 

And thought otherwise? 

I’m a sunflower 

But where are my yellow petals? 

Where’s my smile, my hope? 

You survive with the thorns 

And expect me to do the same 

But I’m a sunflower 

Not a rose 

The thorns that do not hurt you, hurt me 

And the thorns that do not hurt me, could hurt you… 

That’s why I don’t talk about them.

Petal 32

The day when the lilies and the daisies 

Find out how little I’ve shared 

It will be the day they’ll realize

Who truly talked more than they should have.

Petal 33

I’m sorry if I can’t feel your pain 

But I’m a sunflower 

Even if I try I can’t feel 

The pain of the other flowers

Petal 34

So I grew older 

But inside I was the same sunflower 

Dreaming and looking at the sky 

Asking the sun for help 

But growing up amidst roses 

And being forced to be satisfied 

With a life made for the roses 

I started to rebel 

Roses should always be delicate 

Pretty 

Conformable with others 

And fight, fight, and fight 

All the roses are fighting 

“You should do the same” 

That’s what they said to me 

But don’t you understand? 

I am a sunflower 

I am free 

Free to dream higher 

Break patterns 

Create my rules. 

I can’t be a rose 

I will not be reaped only to please the reaper 

But I’ll grow looking at the sun. 

And that’s good enough.

Petal 35

The roses might think 

That I’m too emotional 

Or a liar 

Since all the life I’ve bloomed 

Wasn’t seen by them 

Who told you 

That 

All 

Of it

Was

Real 

In real life? 

It surprises me that you think 

The external world 

And its shallow fields 

Are the only place 

Where I’d live 

Remarkable 

Or painful experiences 

With other flowers

Petal 36

The funniest part 

Is that nothing here is private 

This is exposed 

It’s always been 

Where all the flowers could see 

And yet 

You didn’t 

Because if you wanted to 

You’d find it yourselves 

But honestly, 

I am not surprised 

You were always the last ones 

To look at my petals 

I always had to show 

That they were bleeding 

So you would notice 

Well, this is my answer 

Your inconveniences are no excuse 

Since I always had time 

For your petals 

Even though I found them ridiculous.

Petal 37

“The dance of the petals is the vengeance of the withered flowers” 

It was what the yellow rose told me one day 

But if I may disagree 

The vengeance of the withered flowers 

Are, actually, the frozen petals 

Fallen on the flowerbed 

In a way that no winds 

Can move them away 

Do you want some proof? 

Watch all the petals 

That I left behind before this one

Petal 38

This is everything I never said 

About the red rose 

That took the yellow rose from me 

The honest truth 

Was that I never found you pretty 

Your petals are fake 

Your voice gets on my nerves 

And your sympathy disgusts me 

You speak in riddles 

So others can notice you 

And use small flowers 

To trap those around you 

You really think I didn’t know 

Why the yellow rose never left you? 

You left your seeds In his flowerbed 

So you’d always be allowed to come back 

I tried to accept these seeds 

Just like I tried to accept you 

But how can I accept someone 

That always forced me 

To look over my shoulder? 

You refuse to be replaced 

By other flowers 

That’s why you buried your stem on the ground 

Waiting for them to give up 

Just like I did 

But I know I was different 

I was the first sunflower 

The only one who could 

Unsettle you 

And destroy your foundations 

I won’t deny 

For months, I wished 

That you would wither 

Disappear 

Or that you vanished 

When your flowerbed turned into ashes 

However, it changed 

Want to know why? 

Now that I left the yellow rose 

I can see much clearer 

That, like all the flowers 

He has his bees 

Around his petals 

And you use these bees 

To stay nearby 

So the other roses 

Will believe you care 

When, in fact 

You’re just another bee 

It doesn’t make me angry anymore 

It makes me pitiful 

Pitiful for the yellow rose, 

For he cannot stand up for himself 

And pitiful for you 

And your need for attention 

Kill the lights 

Your performance 

Never 

Convinced me 

So thank me 

Because in the sempiternity of these words 

You shall be remembered 

Like nothing but a shadow beneath my petals 

As much as you try 

You’ll never be 

The flower that follows the sun.

Petal 39

The most significant rose in my flowerbed 

Thought it would be a good idea 

To introduce me to a few dandelions 

I found it funny 

That the wind blowing 

Was enough to destroy this flower 

And raise chaos in the flowerbed 

I befriended one of these dandelions 

In my childhood 

But growing up I realized 

I never liked him 

We all have our weaknesses 

However, everything has its bounds 

A flower that dies with the wind? 

Honestly, 

The rose doesn’t need that 

And neither do I 

But that wasn’t the only one 

There was another dandelion 

Who captivated 

All the flowers in my flowerbed 

But the sun watched everything 

And he knew 

That my displeasure for these flowers 

Was not groundless. 

I’ve never seen him up close 

But I know that if I had 

Not even the phoniest of smiles 

Could hide 

How much I detested that flower 

I hope the wind 

Had blown away 

All your petals

Petal 40

Hypervigilance 

Is a blessing 

And a curse 

A blessing 

Because it allows me to anticipate 

And get ready for the winds 

That threaten the garden 

Nevertheless, it turns into a curse 

When the roses in my flowerbed 

Disregarding my innate ability 

Of blossoming under the sun 

Are always lurking 

To take me to the shadows.

Petal 41

I’m sorry if until now 

I didn’t express gratitude for the flowers 

But when you’re a sunflower 

Who grew up among roses 

What exactly is there to be grateful 

Besides the flowerbed you were born in?

Petal 42

I returned to my flowerbed 

And stayed far from the roses 

Suddenly, a young lotus flower 

Sat beside me 

His kind eyes, full of questions 

But he didn’t say a word 

He just looked at me 

As I looked to the sun 

I always looked to the sun 

Even broken apart, 

It was where I’d go 

The young lotus flower remained by my side 

His silent company 

Was exactly 

What I needed in the moment

Petal 43

I have to learn 

Not to share my plans with the roses 

Nor the lilies 

Nor the daisies 

As willing as they are 

They still don’t comprehend 

What it truly means to walk under the sun. 

How can they support me 

If they’re always in the shadows? 

They’re not where I want to be 

They never went where I’m heading 

I must write this chapter by myself.

Petal 44

I would love to see the orchids 

With their main character syndrome 

Find these petals 

And identifying themselves 

Only to realize 

That who dropped these petals 

Not only is not a part of them 

But also despises them entirely

Winter

Petal 45

Tired of losing my petals 

To blue and yellow roses 

I saw by the flowerbed, two lotus flowers 

One arrived a long time ago 

The other, not too long 

When I approached the eldest, he said: 

“I cannot be the sun in your life. 

For the sun is high above, 

But I am stuck on the ground” 

That was enough, because I decided 

That never again a flower 

Would replace the sun for me. 

Time passed by, and the eldest flower 

Introduced me to the young one 

“Just like you, he is looking for the sun, but he looks in the wrong flowers” 

“And what should I do?” 

I asked the eldest flower. 

“I’m afraid of losing myself again” 

The eldest lotus flower smiled at me 

And then said: 

“Keep your stem on the ground, and your petals towards the sun, little sunflower. 

That way, you’ll never lose yourself” 

And that’s how I’ve been trying to remain 

As I admire the young lotus flower from afar 

Wondering how I could get to him 

And help him find the sun

Petal 46

Look how funny it is 

As the other flowers 

Have their hardships 

Feel sad 

Or slightly unsatisfied 

They scream to the entire flowerbed 

But I, the sunflower 

Instead of screaming to the other flowers 

I write 

Because if I want to heal 

Words heal the mind 

And if I want to hurt 

Well… words hurt the mind

Petal 47

I drowned in the sea 

Looking for other sunflowers 

But all that I’ve found 

Were yellow corals 

Pretending to be sunflowers 

But always craving the sharks 

And their eyes far from the sun 

For the sharks were safer 

And the sun was bold, challenging 

Uncharted 

Except by myself 

Always willing to burn 

But being forced to drown 

Amidst sharks

Petal 48

My intention 

Is not to throw rocks at the roses 

But to make them look inside 

And realize that maybe 

They’re just other sunflowers 

That closed off their petals 

And painted them red

Petal 49

One day I’ll find the other sunflowers 

And when this happens 

I’ll leave the roses 

The lilies 

And the daisies 

Definitively 

No looking back 

They don’t know yet 

How easy it will be to leave them behind 

When I finally find 

My place under the sun 

With the other sunflowers

Petal 50

And despite everything else, 

I’m still standing 

Held by the sun 

That knows my heart 

My feelings 

And each of my petals 

That are just a little weave 

Of a much bigger tapestry 

He says 

That every fallen petal 

Hides the roots 

Of the freedom so strongly sought 

My fallen petals 

Guide me 

Slowly 

Towards 

The sun.

Petal 51

And just like this 

Reality turns 

Into fiction 

So in the near future 

Fiction will turn 

Into reality 

Like two caterpillars in their cloak 

And which flowers 

Will be able 

To prove 

Me wrong?

Petal 52

My biggest issue with the night 

Is that the sun is covered by the moon 

And without the sun, I find no peace 

Thoughts that consume me 

Thoughts I wish I could avoid 

Regrets I wish I could forget 

Flowers I wish I could unlove 

Eclipses can be much worse 

I feel like I’m dying 

As if the bees are devouring my petals 

And then I open my eyes the next day 

And the sun is there again. 

I can finally breathe.

Petal 53

And in the end, the only one left 

Was the young lotus flower 

Opening his petals to me 

Amidst so much pain 

And so many times 

It was with him 

That I shared the lightest of smiles 

And the darkest of tears 

He was the only one who met the forget-me-not 

The sun took me to the lotus flower 

And the lotus flower chose to stay 

Thank you.

Petal 54

When I heard the song of the wind 

I knew it was a sign 

The sign that I needed 

To leave the flowerbed 

So many years, trapped between thorns 

Shallow companions of lilies and daisies 

Painful romances 

Unstable roses 

Narcissuses pretending to be sunflowers 

Insidious orchids… 

That’s enough 

It’s time to go 

I remembered what the eldest lotus flower once said 

About keeping my stem on the ground 

And my petals towards the sun 

The sun pointed to a different direction 

Way beyond this flowerbed 

That was where I should go 

No luggage 

No regrets 

No looking back 

This is the last petal I will drop 

Goodbye.

Petal 55

Maybe this is not the end of the road 

But that I have to find by myself 

With all my love; 

— The sunflower who grew up among roses