Crocus

 

Crocus

Crocus laconique, saillant

Montre nous, les hommes

Comment passer sans rancoeur

 

Reflecting on this photo this morning (now Tuesday, two days after I posted this photo on Sunday) I realized that the tiny plant that had made me think so carefully since then deserved a poem. I wrote it in French mainly because the French “sans” saved me a syllable and thereby satisfied the rigor of the Haiku, but discovered that I liked the sound, lucidity and subtlety of what I could say in French much better than what I had produced in English. After posting this photo on Sunday, I have reflected long upon the flower’s shockingly short life in bloom and realized that little brother Crocus was rewarding me for my attention by teaching me a surprising lesson. The lessons for me were several (cyclicity, fleetingness, acceptance, grace, opportunity, attention, action, brilliance…) but I will highlight this one:

The beauty of the crocus bloom is made more precious by its very fleetingness.

Still more learning: Writing a poem with strict parameters is a process of discovery in any language. One is forced to forage around for the right word and the searching often reveals better words that don’t quickly come to mind.

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Bob Marley and Oneness

The sun rises from its house, Haleakala, on Maui

I have a few of Bob Marley’s songs in my repertoire, but have been listening closely to his music lately for a number of good reasons. Here is something I’ve just realized that stopped me in my tracks:

Don’t Worry I just sang carelessly for a while, getting the words of the first two lines of the verse wrong. Now I realize that I missed a universe of meaning in those two, seemingly simple, lines:

Rise up this morning

Smile with the rising sun

I italicized above the words I was getting wrong. I would sing them:

Woke up this morning

Smile at the rising sun

But how much was missed by not listening carefully enough!

Rise: Bob rose up; he did not simply open his eyes passively and enjoy the sunlight. He stood up and saw his doorstep. He probably walked over to it. This song represents a conscious, deliberate act.

With: Bob smiled with the rising sun. Not an accidental choice of words here, I think. For Bob, the sun was smiling too. The human and the sphere that sustains him were smiling together. They were friendly. Bob didn’t put a distance between him and the sun; I can almost imagine the two of them standing and even taking a drink together. I don’t know what Bob drank, but to me they were sharing a close, almost chummy, moment.

The three little birds also were singing one song – a melody pure and true. They were singing with and for Bob and the Sun.

The message for me: if we realize how ephemeral, illusory and interconnected life is we will not worry, because every little thing gonna be alright.