ike the following shape:

          x       y
           \    //
            \  //
             \//
             |||
             |||
             |||
              z

Then I would chain these together in trees and cycles to represent the
more complex constructions that I had to think about in a given setting.

When I used this tactic to represent the elementary sign relations among
the sunflowers and the sun, I ended up with pictures something like this:

          s_1   s_2
          o o   o o
          |