a wire brush

she left some sunflowers by the back fence. they grew too big. the heads are fat and loaded with seeds. too heavy for the dry stalks. i sit on the steps with a beer and watch them snap under their own weight. it sounds like a chicken bone breaking. a giant head hits the dirt. i walk over and press my thumb against the black center. it feels like a wire brush. stiff and dead. the bugs are already crawling on it.