Wagner Farms
Haiku Poetry
Late in the afternoon I headed out to explore with the camera. I didn’t have a particular destination in mind, it only needed to be different. Someplace I haven’t been in a while. I was letting my subconscious decide the turns along the way when I remembered Wagner Farms was open. They have sunflower fields!
The sky was looking fantastic. My excitement was palpable. Drive!
I parked the car and could not get the camera out of the bag quick enough. I took a step back. I slowed my breathing. The sunflowers were not going anywhere. I needed a moment to plan.
The macro lens was on the camera which is what I wanted to capture details. What to do for the long shots, the grand vistas, the sweeping landscapes… bring another camera! With one camera hanging off my hip from the capture clip and the other from the strap around my neck I walked into the fields.
It was a sea of yellow! Glorious!
Dang, I’m not alone. What are these other people doing in my fields? Breath…
I explored the main field switching between the two cameras every few feet. I had forgotten how people use the sunflower fields for photo shoots. Navigating around portrait photographers and their subjects was interesting but I was determined to not let it ruin my afternoon. I happily collected my images.
Off to the second field. Different varieties of sunflowers with the non-standard coloring were in the second field. There were also less people. My smile was growing.
I was almost done with the second field when noticed the sky. Whoa! The clouds had rolled in but the sun was streaking through them. I needed that image. I knew exactly where to get the one I wanted. Back to the first field…
To say I wanted to run would not be admitting too much, right? No, running not allowed. I settled on asking Mother Nature not to change the view. Please stay a few more minutes… please. Whew! I made it.
There are small platforms along the fields to give some elevation. Not high, maybe four feet but enough to allow you to look out across the entire field with the sun flowers poking through a blanket of green. This is the image I wanted. The words started trickling into my head as soon as I stepped off the platform…
Replenished Hope. Streaking earthward Alighting on yellow seas Spirit replenished

Olympus PEN-F, M. Zuiko 17mm f/1.8, 1/250s, f/11, ISO 200
Oh my gosh! To that capture AND that haiku! Mike!… Wow!!