Sunflowers by Luiza Louback (17, Brazil)

One day
Ah, one day
I will look deep into your eyes
In the depths of your black pupils
And I will say that you planted sunflowers on me.
They grow and curl up in my guts,
The long green stems go up to my throat,
They blur my vision,
Steal the air from my poor lungs.

---

​I will say that like a sunflower, I search for the sun
The light that emanates from your smile
From the heat of your fingers' calluses
And the brightness which shines from your eyes
I'm spinning, twisting in your search
Recreating myself on the way
Losing my shape, raw.
Where are you?
Curling up in my own roots,
I don't see you...
Tearing out my own petals
Until there is no more light.
The sun is gone
And there is no more burning
Stems break in strong bursts
The hang with the lost balance
And all the sunflowers inside me wither
And alone and bitter,
Wandering lost, I realized
That the sun is not the only source of light
And that the moon also shines.
With open arms, I received its dawn light
And I danced to the beats of my own heart
I supported myself with the warmth of my body
And with the brightness of my own gaze
And finally
I tried to encounter myself.
The sunflowers turned inward
For the first time not expecting from the exterior
And they felt the warmth of living with myself
For myself
In the freedom to be alone.