Sunday, June 28, 2009

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow ~

My last lone peony from my garden...
Their stay is much too brief...here today and gone tomorrow~
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 it's 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?

Blessings~

8 comments:

Kim said...

Lovely pink Peony. That soft creamy pink is such a beautiful color. It's so sad that Peonies don't bloom all year around. The sight and smell of them is heavenly...

Feedsack Fantasy said...

They are hard to let go of, such beauty for so short a time. TTFN ~ Marydon

GARAGE SALE GAL said...

Hi Sandi,
My peonies are all done too :(
However the lillies and clematis are blooming.. trying to find the beauty all around me.
Happy Sunday.
Deb :)

Anonymous said...

Alas, my Peonies have just about bloomed their last. :-(
Can't believe I have waited all Winter & now I will wait again...
Parting IS such sweet sorrow.....
Hugs,
Marilyn
xxoo

Lisa said...

Lovely!! The poem is nice!
Hugs, Lisa

June said...

Hi Sandi,
Great poem! I wait all year for this time. I am so addicted to this flower and I mourn when it is gone till the next season. I'm in the height of it now and loving every minute.
Smiles,
June

Melissa/Piney Rose said...

What a beautiful poem! I love it. I love your photos. So sad to see the last peony, but the gladiolas are now ablaze to capture our hearts..

Anonymous said...

Hello Sandi, your peonies are stunning!! I would miss them too.