Dandelion
Christie
Dandelion: A Personal Response
Karen Christie
Rochester Institute of Technology
“They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.” -N. Christianopoulos (in
Ponders, 2016)
In the relatively brief time since ASL and ASL literature have been valorized, a
small number of ASL poems have become part of our developing literary canon. One these
cherished and well-known ASL poems is Clayton Valli’s, Dandelion. In fact, the poem has
inspired Deaf artists to incorporate dandelions as a motif in a number of De’VIA artworks
(see https://deviacurr.wordpress.com/devia-motifs-d-g).
I remember clearly the first time I saw Clayton Valli perform the poem, Dandelion.
As the poem ended, there was this surge of feeling that rose up from my center to my eyes.
There was an overwhelming sense of… what? Hope? Pride? Triumph? The poem and the
feelings all happened so fast; I really did not understand why I reacted as strongly I did.
When the poem later came out on video, I was able to watch it carefully, looking for
possible ways the poem worked and how it sparked the emotions that it did. By studying
this poem, we can begin to unearth the power of ASL poetry.
Videoclip #1 1
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnRB6XWxIaA)
The beginning introduces us to a peaceful and pastoral scene. The sunny flowers
and light breezes draw our attention to nature. Because the dandelions are moving in
unison, there is a feeling of community. If the symbol of dandelions represents Deaf people,
then the poem affirms that Deaf people are natural organisms. Valli, as well as other Deaf
poets, have chosen symbols from the natural world to represent Deaf people such as trees,
mushrooms, and flowers to communicate that we are a natural part of human diversity. In
addition, the Deaf cultural value of collectivism is reinforced in the description of a field
1
The author’s descriptions as well as ASL-to-English translations for the first three videoclips can be seen
at the end of this paper.
SASLJ, Vol. 2, No.1 – Spring/Summer 2018
57