Goldenrod: any composite plant of the genus Solidago, most species of which bear numerous small, yellow flower heads (so says dictionary.com)

When I think of goldenrod, I always think of…here we go again…my dad. I remember hearing, since way back, that the innocent looking plant wreaked havoc with his allergies, so, when I think of it, I think of him. My sister recently commented elsewhere that it was around this time last year when he started getting sick (actually, sicker…he was already suffering from what was probably late-stage emphysema), and I remember that time well, as I had visited just a month before—late August—and he was already coughing more than usual…said it was his hay fever acting up. Later, whenever I talked to him on the phone, he was still coughing, and he said not to worry…it was the weather and, still, allergies. But, he’d stopped eating, too…he didn’t tell me that part, apparently ’cause “I ask too many questions.” Well, when I’m 400 miles away and I’m worried about family, that’s what I do…I ask questions.

It makes no difference now, and still, when I think of goldenrod, I think of my dad.