Being in a contrary mood this morning, I thought I would post something contrary.
Bouquets
One flower at a time, please
however small the face.
Two flowers are one flower
too many, a distraction.
Three flowers in a vase begin
to be a little noisy.
Like cocktail conversation,
everybody talking.
A crowd of flowers is a crowd
of flatterers (forgive me).
One flower at a time. I want
to hear what it is saying.
-- Robert Francis --
from Art and Nature
Kate Farrell, Editor
Any comments?
Rather true, actually, when one thinks about it.
ReplyDeletemadamevauquer,
DeleteYes, that's necessary--I had think about it, for at first i rejected the idea. It required me to reorient my thinking, to look at that single flower with different eyes.
I prefer to read one book at a time, even though I may have two or more listed--is this the same thing?
I think the reading of more than one book at a time affects people differently. In a way, it is the same. I almost always have several going at once, but on any one day, I only actually read in one or two. If it's two, they're quite separated by hours. What gets me more is if I try to read too many in the same series in a row without a break.
Deletemadamevauquer,
DeleteI find that if they are the same type of book--two mysteries or two SF--then they tend to blur.
i like it a lot. it indicates the difficulty of making sense out of almost everything... to me, anyway. how much attention is really paid to flowers, trees, nature in general? the entities that we share this small planet with...
ReplyDeleteMudpuddle,
DeleteYes, too much clutter or static interferes with the message.
Very little attention is paid by many to those who share the planet with us, many of which were here before us. And it's not a good attention when many do--just see them as obstructions to be removed or used up for profit.
A single flow in nature is a lonely thing. A single flower in hand is a lovely thing.
ReplyDeleteShadow Flutter,
DeleteYes, it is, once I slow down sufficiently to really see it. It's a miraculous thing also.
Thanks for posting this verse. I really enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteThere is much to championing the individual over the crowd, be it flowers or people.
Brian Joseph,
DeleteIt's hard to see that in our mass culture where numbers are what's important and the individual too often is ignored, unless it's something or somebody "out of the ordinary."
R.T.,
ReplyDelete"Contrary" is a context judgmental term. What's contrary to some is perfectly normal or even expected by others.
I sometimes wonder if we keep marching because the drum is beating, or if the drum is beating because we keep marching.
haha... good... with me, i'm quite sure it's a tuba, commonly echoing in the background as i pursue my daily tasks...
ReplyDeleteMudpuddle,
ReplyDeleteChuckle. . .
A tuba? What happened to the drum?
my days in the high school marching band suddenly interrupted my inquisitional brain work... sorry... haha
ReplyDeleteMudpuddle,
ReplyDeleteChuckle. . .
An inquisitional brain interrupted by a tuba?
Now, that is something to ponder.