Peonies
May 22, 2007 · by Christine
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?
-Mary Oliver from New and Selected Poems: Volume One
Yesterday I splurged on a bouquet of peonies and proceeded to fall completely in love with them when I got home. I have never before spent so much time gazing at and inhaling the scent of these splendid flowers. I cultivated my new love through the lens of my camera and then had the absolute delight of finding Mary Oliver’s poem. Some days the abundance I find in words and images is enough to break my heart wide open.
What has broken your heart open this day?
-Christine Valters Paintner @ Abbey of the Arts
May 22nd, 2007 at 8:53 pm
i had a so-so day, finding myself whining and not feeling appreciated much. . . and then i came to your blog and my heart broke wide open over your blessed peony photos and Mary Oliver’s poem. . . and i was reminded that God only asks one simple thing of us — to just love and love and love. . . to just keep loving others. . . like your photos. . . one by one. you were meant to fall in love with those peonies today and i’m glad you did.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:09 pm
i’ve mentioned this peony post on my blog, christine.
thank you. hugs.
May 22nd, 2007 at 9:11 pm
Thank you Bette, I am so glad to share this with you. I have been so very moved by these flowers with their dense clusters of soft petals and their delicate fragrance. I took over 200 photos and at least half of them turned out really well. Such a gift. And thank you for the gift of you!
May 22nd, 2007 at 10:25 pm
Next to lilacs, peonies are absolutely my favorite flowers! I’m with Bette…your gifts of photography and sharing resources like Mary Oliver’s beautiful words have broken my heart wide open. Today, I saw the first peonies in blossom…a beautiful white/pink plant that just spoke peace and glory! What a fitting “closure” to my Immersion weekend too! The need to just be and to experience peace were big for me this weekend. Looking at a peony, inhaling it’s sweetness, witnessing the ants…more opportunities to just be! –Karla
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:56 pm
These photographs are absolutely beautiful. And isn’t it wonderful how poems arrive in our lives at just the right time.
These images reminded me of one thing that keeps my heart open: how every living thing is complete in and of itself but at the same time, part of all life. Boundaries and merging at the same time.
May 23rd, 2007 at 5:03 am
Cool - my peonies are still tight-fisted green balls at the moment. Can’t wait for the glory!
d
May 23rd, 2007 at 6:35 am
beautiful
May 23rd, 2007 at 7:59 am
what an amazingly beautiful essay. the intricacies of nature break my heart open. poppies are my favorites (at least for the moment
May 23rd, 2007 at 10:24 am
Thank you for the reminder to relax and enjoy life more. This poem and your photos found me in the midst of stress and conflict today. Coming to your blog today felt like respite.
May 24th, 2007 at 8:14 am
These peonies in the light look like clouds of color! Breathtaking. You really do photography from the heart.
May 24th, 2007 at 11:13 am
Karla, Tess, Deb, Sally, Lucy, Shaula, and Pam — you are all so wonderful to leave such gracious comments!
Karla, I hope the Immersion was everything you needed and more and that Trish is doing well. I miss her blogging.
May 25th, 2007 at 9:14 pm
[…] is one of my new favorite flowers (after peonies, of course). For some reason I had never seen or noticed them before. They look to me like […]