Wednesday, March 18

peonies










Peonies by Mary Oliver

This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready
to break my heart
as the sun rises,
as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers

and they open ---
pools of lace,
white and pink ---
and all day the black ants climb over them,

boring their deep and mysterious holes
into the curls,
craving the sweet sap,
taking it away

to their dark, underground cities ---
and all day
under the shifty wind,
as in a dance to the great wedding,

the flowers bend their bright bodies,
and tip their fragrance to the air,
and rise,
their red stems holding

all that dampness and recklessness
gladly and lightly,
and there it is again ---
beauty the brave, the exemplary,

blazing open.
Do you love this world?
Do you cherish your humble and silky life?
Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?

Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden,
and softly,
and exclaiming of their dearness,
fill your arms with the white and pink flowers,

with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling,
their eagerness
to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are
nothing, forever?

19 comments:

please sir said...

Amazing photos - one of my favorite flowers.

abigail said...

lovely photos and poem.
I cannot wait for peonies!

Unknown said...

So pretty. :)

Anonymous said...

I love Mary Oliver, but I had never read that one--I love her simple directness, with beautiful natural imagery. Beautiful photos and the perfect poem accompaniment.

in another lifetime said...

what beautifully sweet photos!

Yoli said...

Lovely photographs!

avant garde design said...

peonies are so elegant, i adore peonies! oooh, that blue glass you have, that color stirrs me silly.

la couleur c'est la vie said...

They are so lovely....

Josephine said...

peonies are my favorite flower. the way you've captured them, they look like a ripe piece of fruit.

cuteseas said...

so beautiful! i love the pics of the flowers

Cannelle Et Vanille said...

so, so beautiful nadia... like a ballerina

cindy* said...

gorgeous nadia...i love peonies and with that aqua glass, perfect!

Anonymous said...

I love them!!!!

Joyti said...

Lovely photographs, peonies are so beautiful. That one is particularly lush and beautifully colored.

Esti said...

peonies are one of my favourite flowers to photograph. I love their shades of color, the layers... Beautiful.

Bonbon Oiseau said...

thank you...

georgia b. said...

quite possible my favorite flower because they remind me of my mother.

Unknown said...

Ilove peonies so so much. they remind me of summer and being barefoot.

ilovepeonies said...

Ilovepeonies! I started a peony farm because I just love peonies. Your poem is lovely and touching. Your photographs did it justice. If you have some time, please visit me at www.ilovepeonies.com

Thanks for the poem.