Something To Share

[Kristl Walek]

A friend recently forwarded this poem by Muriel Stuart.
I wanted to share it here:



The Seed-Shop

Here in a quiet and dusty room they lie,
Faded as crumbled stone or shifting sand,
Forlorn as ashes, shrivelled, scentless, dry -
Meadows and gardens running through my hand.

In this brown husk a dale of hawthorn dreams;
A cedar in this narrow cell is thrust
That will drink deeply of a century's streams;
These lilies shall make summer on my dust.

Here in their safe and simple house of death,
Sealed in their shells, a million roses leap;
Here I can blow a garden with my breath,
And in my hand a forest lies asleep.

[Ragged Robin]

Such images encapsulated in these poetic words, such thoughts reflected in this seed potential, such a vision of the future and cycle of life - I love this poem, Kristi, so thanks for sharing it.

[ranunculus]

Incredibly evocative, Kristl ... and how fitting for you to be the one to bring it to our attention!   

[Lesley Cox]

A wonderful word picture, recognising the life force in all seeds. It amazes me that people think of seeds as dead, or of the winter season as dead. It is then that the strongest growth takes place, even if we can't see the roots thrusting down and out to support the leaves and flowers which are truly the dying part.

[TheOnionMan]

A wonderful word picture, recognising the life force in all seeds. It amazes me that people think of seeds as dead, or of the winter season as dead. It is then that the strongest growth takes place, even if we can't see the roots thrusting down and out to support the leaves and flowers which are truly the dying part.

The poem is beautiful and provocative.  Lesley, when you say "people think of seeds as dead, or of the winter season as dead", this jars memories of when I lived in the Pacific Northwest (Seattle, Washington area... think 30+ meter fir trees everwhere, and 30-40" of rain a year, an evergreen environ).  At rock garden meetings, people would hear I was from the East Coast, New England region, and would comment on how they visited in winter or very early spring and "everything looked dead!".  I couldn't disagree more... the trees are just resting.  A dead tree has a very different look and coloration than, let's say, a red maple resting during winter, with lively silvery bark and perky leaf buds that reflect light.  The woods open up and the landscape reveals itself in autumn/winter... but in spring, one of the unsung glories of New England spring is the spectacular emergence of spring growth. 

Elsewhere on SRGC, Kristl Walek photographed Red Maple (Acer rubrum) in flower.  For the past 23 years, tooling down the highway for my 1-1/2 hour each way commute to work, there are low-lying (wet) stretches where Acer rubrum predominates, and the species is so incredibly variable, densely clothed with flowers and samarras of every shade from dark black red, crimson, and every conceivable orange, salmon, pink, mustard, and yellow shade imaginable... it becomes a Van Gogh painting.  I imagine doing a photographic essay of this spectacle, but it might be hard to convey the actual sense of light and color, and then again it's just maple trees and people take them for granted.  I have even noted particular trees along my ex-drive, that I must go one day and collect cuttings or seed, unique on account of the shear bounty of the richly colored flowers and samarras, so that I may grow such magnificent varieties in my yard.  This aspect of my commute, is the only thing I miss about being unemployed and no longer making the commute.

[Lesley Cox]

I absolutely agree Mark that winter colours of bark, incipient leaf buds etc are full of richness and variation. If you DO decide to do your essay on the maples, remember that while eastern Americans and Canadians may take them for granted, we in the rest of the world would certainly love to see that fabulous and famous firing of the eastern North American woodlands. And what better place to show it, than on this Forum?

[cohan]

I absolutely agree Mark that winter colours of bark, incipient leaf buds etc are full of richness and variation. If you DO decide to do your essay on the maples, remember that while eastern Americans and Canadians may take them for granted, we in the rest of the world would certainly love to see that fabulous and famous firing of the eastern North American woodlands. And what better place to show it, than on this Forum?

being from alberta, where there are few maples, i photographed them (and all the other exotic trees) a lot while i lived in toronto; i really don't know anything about the species, but there were some that were beautiful indeed in spring-one type in particular, had showy flowers, and wonderful fall colour--but looked awful in midsuimmer--it had great puple black leaves (i think there was a green form too, with different flower colour) but in toronto's generally hot, dry (soil) and humid (air) summers they looked droopy and worn and usually with a lot of mildew spots... a poor choice i thought, and yet very commonly planted street trees..