Under the Same Sun
Concept, text and illustration by Vita Kiewiet de Jonge (2020)
Audio by Ruth van de Putte and played by members of het Residentie Orkest Den Haag (2020)
“Great, another day of trying to rise above the noise,” the sunflower muttered to himself. He found himself surrounded by many other flowers on his patch of land. Bright colours, delicate petals, each more beautiful than the other. Summer had come and it was their time to shine.
Often he overheard the other flowers talking but he could never quite make out what they were saying. Being high above the ground had its advantages – do not get me wrong – but lately the sunflower had been craving some affection, a bit of intimacy. But how? The other flowers seemed to have it all together, like they knew exactly how to be a flower.
The sunflower, in the midst of troubling thoughts on how to get closer to them, noticed something attracting his attention. “You know, if you would like, I could keep you company? I do not usually get to talk to a sunflower.” Trying to figure out where the voice came from, the sunflower felt confused. No one had ever asked him anything like that.
He felt a soft bug landing on his petals. A tiny bee was crawling closer to him. The sunflower noticed that the bee, sticky with nectar, was having a bit of trouble moving its fluffy body towards the center. Upon arriving, the bee asked, “Now tell me, what is troubling you?”
Unsure about how to explain, the sunflower said, “Well, I am so far away from all of the other flowers. I fear I might be different, that I do not know how to speak their language. How do I start a conversation?” Carefully choosing his words, the bee replied, “Being a bee, I know a bit about every flower. You all have your own concerns and insecurities, and I think every one of you feels alone at times. But the most important thing you have in common is that together you make up the most beautiful garden, with the sweetest nectar.” “I am confused, what does that mean for me? How do I get closer to them?” the sunflower asked.
Quietly, the bee whispered, “But my dear, you already are. You grow from the same earth, with your roots in the same ground. You grow alongside each other under the same sun. You are a part of them as much as they are a part of you.”