Peony
You burst into bloom like a sudden flash of illumination, elixir of spring.
Quick, I must paint you! Explore your myriad shades of pink, frame you in silver, make you immortal.
Quick, I must write of your furled blossoms and fragrance! Glorious haiku bright with promise – April’s shyness, May’s delight.
Even now, amid happy bees and floating butterflies, gentle spring hurtles toward blazing summer, and these soft sunlit days are fleeting.
Even now, the light changes. You’re different – fading, withering.
Even now as I hold spring in my hands, you’re gone – too soon, too soon.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleWhen I saw the picture of your peony, the first thing that came to my mind is a pink rose. But oh no, I was wrong peony and rose are not the same. Thank you for this entry, Julie, it educates me. Also, I love your description especially the last two lines, it is something that amazed me and remains in my mind – “Even now, the light changes. You’re different –… Read more »
Thanks for your very thoughtful comment, Lotchie. Yes, the peony is very different from the rose. I think the peony is the queen of my spring garden – one bloom is about as big as my hand and it smells heavenly. The Japanese haiku poets frequently wrote about peonies. “When the peonies bloomed,/It seemed as though there were/No flowers around them”. I agree! I was so excited to see one of my… Read more »
You’re welcome, Julie.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThis is beautiful, Julie! This made me think that the life of an artist isn’t always easy, trying to capture special memories on canvas or in literature before it fades.
Hello Marianna – When the peonies bloom, I always have an urge to somehow share their beauty. There’s not much time to capture their essence, but hopefully I’ve stored up decades of memories to draw from! Next up in the garden are the gardenias. Watch out for another flower story!!
How lovely Julie, you’ve captured the emotions of the loving gardener so well. I have similar feelings when photographing insects. They change from one form to another so quickly. ‘And there it was, gone’ is a very regular saying in our house ?
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleDear Carrie – you really do understand exactly! The deep desire to capture beauty often feels urgent – all these forms of loveliness fly away or wilt or the light changes, and then … it’s gone! I love the saying from your house. It reminds me of a trip my family once made, which included one of my slow talking Southern cousins. I mean really, really s-l-o-w talking. We were driving through… Read more »
Just think Julie, if there was a Southern Peony, it might last just that little bit longer. But don’t you think the beauty of the flower can sometimes be measured by/in its short life? I can say no better that what Lotchie has said, a beautiful poem too.
You have a very good point, Eric. A lot of the beauty – of flowers, of situations, of life itself – is enhanced by its briefness. The haiku poets knew that well. Haiku itself depends on brevity for its beauty and depth. That’s one reason I love the 100 word stories so much – they too are gone “too soon, too soon” and therefore to be treasured that much more.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleAt the same time, Julie, your story is poetic and philosophical; about beauty and sadness. Everything that is living is constantly changing, going from birth to death, from spring, via summer, to fall and winter. Changes can be exciting when you anticipate something and sad when you want to hold on. Here in Colombia, with summer year round, I often miss nature’s changes, and wonder how trees and other plants know when… Read more »
Christer, it’s a delight to read your comments. Like the stories, you say a lot in a few words. Yes, the sadness of seeing the peony leave too soon is of course an allegory for the beauty and briefness of life itself. One of my brothers lived in Costa Rica for almost twelve years and he dearly missed seasons. The changing seasons here remind us of our mortality – do you Colombians… Read more »
It is a shame that the beauties of these flowers don’t last very long. The final part when you wrote ‘too soon, too soon’ is so true.
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