Growing Tall!

In height and confidence

I attended a very interesting poetry workshop recently. It was free, so there were lots of people there. I felt a bit intimidated, poetry is not my natural go to, or strong point, though I am fond of a Haiku. I write poetry in the spur of the moment, when something moves me. I keep most of my poems private, preferring to hone my craft slowly, and without worrying about judgement.

The main part of the session was to write an instructional poem, which I had never attempted before. We were given three examples my favourite one by Billy Letford on how to be a well prepared scaffolder.

We were then asked to come up with one of our own, with a time limit seven minutes.

Here is my unedited, first attempt:

How to plant an award winning sunflower seed

Let the competition begin, gather up your pots,

Six will be best.

There will be choices to make -

Strength, growth and beauty to discern.

Now, look at your seeds

All stripy and plump.

Choose very carefully,

Choose ones with hope.

So, taking a finger,

Plunge it into the middle of the pot,

Not too shallow or deep.

Maybe a knuckle and a half.

OK, pop it in

Pointy side up,

And cover it over.

Don’t press too hard!

Bang the base on the table,

Get rid of the air.

Next gently water -

Too much, it will drown!

And smile at it kindly,

And pray for its growth.

Notice it swell.

Look after it well,

There are reputations at stake,

There are comparisons to make,

There are prizes to be won

And rosettes to be worn.

There were some great poems to listen to around the room; about loading dishwashers, playing cricket, walking the dog, living life. Being the private introvert, unsurprisingly I didn’t offer mine, but I did promise myself I would share it with you.

There is more tweaking to be done, for sure, but it is amazing the flow you can get into in only seven minutes. I wonder if this has spurred you on to write your own instructional poem or indeed grow some prize sunflowers. Do let me know if you decide to do either or both.

I am curious:

Do you ever read or write poetry? If so, what was the last poem you read or wrote?

Do you have a favourite style of poetry?

Do you have a favourite poet?

Which sunflower seed from above would you choose first?

Have you ever grown a sunflower? If so, how tall did it get?

What do you feel when you see a sunflower?

How brave are you at speaking in a public arena?

Sunflower grown in 2025 by experts at RHS Bridgewater