Dear Plant, You're Pretty

I am in love with this plant that sits in my next-door neighbor's garden. This is the first I have seen it bloom in 5 years. I suspect it is in the agave or yucca family, but I don't know. What I do know is that I could pull up a chair and gaze all down the long length of each blooming branch for the next month. I am that in love. If you saw it, really saw it in realtime not blogtime, you would be too. In love, I mean. You would want to write a poem about it. It would probably come out better than mine.

dear plant
you're pretty
don't stop blooming
i love you
the end

2nd grade sentiments about plant life have influenced my style. This is why I leave the poetry in more capable hands.

It is what I was born for-
to look, to listen,

to lose myself inside this soft world-
to instruct myself
over and over

Oh, good scholar,
I say to myself,
how can you help

but grow wise
with such teachings
as these -
the untrimmable light

of the world,
the ocean's shine,
the prayers that are made
out of grass?

In between porch sitting and picture taking I'm accomplishing nothing. On today's schedule only a trip to a bookstore. More than one errand at a time feels like hurrying. Add to that list: watching the bees.

Posing cut-out birds in the garden is not exactly an errand, but I will do more of it.

ditto eating blackberries and yogurt.

I may open the visual journal and look inside.

Or maybe it will be enough to look inside of a rose.

We'll see.

Comments

[Aileen]

As always I feel like I too have gone on an adventure when I visit your blog! Thanks for sharing your world!

[forcryeye]

Fantastic photographs! I think you should stage paper birds in several places and photograph them.

[sherry]

Beautiful post...I too love blackberries and yogurt!!

[stephanie]

What can I say....I'M lost in the images here, want to crawl inside those lovely flowers, drugged like the poppies in Oz...

[Tay]

So much beauty here...it always lifts my spirits when I visit!

[eb]

sighing...............

deeply again - you dear poet of BEauty

xox - eb.

[Sister!]

Hey is this a trick? Is it a test to see if I can read without my glasses? I can't even when the font is ginormous. We are going to Italy in 7 days. When it gets to 3 days I will provide the count in hours, minutes, and seconds - we must be precise after all. right?

[Judy Wise]

I love your photography and I love love love that journal page (stop losing things). Tyn told me about the "I am Bossy" blog; have you seen it? Love the family tree and story. Miss you. My mind is going to Italy with you. xo

[mb]

absolutely stunning photos and words...how you find time to be consistantly prolific --and work full time teaching is beyond my middle age energy comprehension =)
Each visit hear is such a treat for my eyes and soul.
Namaste,
MB

[Stephen du Toit]

I think your plant is in the Aloe family (Liliacae) but I can't say which one. They come mostly from South Africa, (like me) so they will be right at home in the Californian climate. If you want more of them, just plant a branch, they root easily.

[francie]

like debra above i've been taking an unintentional journal break but your pages make me wonder why, oh why?!? pure gorgeousness. and the photos... wow.

[Gwen]

Please, keep that flower coming! Are all of those banana shaped buds going to open, too?? It is truly beautiful as it is now.
Love your posts, as usual! I am greedy for them, now that you aren't herding alligators, or ponies for a while...

[debra cooper]

I just love your style, MA! I've been so into sewing, etc. that I haven't touched my journal in months. It has been so long now that when I think of it I wonder: can I do it again? Then I see your beautiful, inspired work and think: how can I not?? I need to come visit every day for a little encouragement and beauty ;-) Thanks, sweetie!