Does one ask a flower to grow?
I just let it be,
letting it unfold
as it unfolds,
petal by petal,
carefully.
I take care not to thwart
the solitary splendor
of its blooming,
remembering
a flower glows
just as brightly in an empty lot
as when my eyes
turn upon it
to share the sudden sweetness
of its garden plot.
As petals catch the wind
and dance under the sun
so do you glow.
Your beauty casts
a clear and steady light
that does not dim
and it shines more
the more
I come to know.
We touch elusively
as fragile stems
holding up heavy blooms,
nodding in the breeze.
The blooms are our two lives.
From underneath
their precarious weight
our hands emerge
like leaves.
Your solitude speaks
to the peaceful solitude
in me
and deep within
my quiet heart
I can feel
something gentle
yearn to be
set free.
Ahhhh. Sweetness and power in knowledge and yearning! How apt the allegory.
ReplyDeleteSweet sentiments indeed ... with a touch of longing.
ReplyDeleteA flower is beautiful no matter where it grows. I like the idea of fragile stems holding up heavy blooms. Seems metaphoric, a bit, thinking of humans holding so many heavy thoughts in their minds!
ReplyDeleteThis poem sings to my soul. I love watching flowers--and all living things--just be. They look happiest when we let them be exactly what they want to be. That doesn't mean that we shouldn't help them if they are in trouble--we wouldn't let a friend be run over by a bus, would we? But we would never presume that our way would be better for a friend to live her life. Instead, we would delight in their happiness and just let them be.
ReplyDeleteI love that as spring approaches, our thoughts are surfing similar waves. :)
Oh! This song is brimming with such devotion and love for the nature and its many magical wonders and how it relates to our own human struggle of letting some things be.
ReplyDeleteI love, love this bit: "The blooms are our two lives./From underneath/their precarious weight/our hands emerge/like leaves."
This is utterly gorgeous writing, Sherry!❤️ I love; " I take care not to thwart the solitary splendor of its blooming, remembering a flower glows just as brightly in an empty lot."❤️
ReplyDeleteYes this poem is a delight to read with the narrators affinity with the flowering plant so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHow delightful to look back on an old poem.. From underneath
ReplyDeletetheir precarious weight
our hands emerge
like leaves... love the imagery there!
Yes, yes, yes... Sherry. A very strong write full of depth and strong images that make your case with such ease. Marvellous...
ReplyDeleteThis was a peaceful and lovely read. Roadside/sidewalk/pathway flowers are welcome sights.
ReplyDeleteSolitude speaking to solitude---that's the language that I understand best.
ReplyDeleteI love the communicate between you and me, "Your solitude speaks to the peaceful solitude in me." A wonderful poem!!
ReplyDeleteFor me, the sweetness comes from the understanding and respect given to a fellow denizen of this weird big blue marble. I can't help but smile at it.
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely beautiful, in solitude there is a connection that is deeper than any words. Within deep roots growth will manifest.
ReplyDeletethere is peace and beauty and gentleness in this poem.
ReplyDeleteold is gold! :)
I love the way a flower can teach something...
ReplyDeleteI love the metaphor of the flower! Probably my favourite piece by you!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful, a poem from 1981, Sherry! My daughter was only four months old in March 1981. I like the way this poem unfolds, just like a flower, and the gentle philosophy of the second stanza:
ReplyDelete‘a flower glows
just as brightly in an empty lot
as when my eyes
turn upon it
to share the sudden sweetness
of its garden plot’.
I especially love the description of the relationship in:
‘Your solitude speaks
to the peaceful solitude
in me
and deep within
my quiet heart
I can feel
something gentle
yearn to be
set free’.
Thanks for diving into you archives today and bringing forth this conversation on life unspoilt
ReplyDeleteHappy you dropped by my sumie Sunday today Sherry
much love
The wonderfully rendered near-rhyme (as well as complimentary vowel sounds) in this piece confer an enchanting cadence upon it. A lovely allegory winding through delicately penned lines of poetry. The date ~ sigh ~ is a such a nice touch.
ReplyDeleteThis may be one of my favorites from you. I love the delicate, easy pace of this... especially the first stanza and the transition of the third stanza. Beautifully written.
ReplyDelete