Friday, June 11, 2010

Happy Pink Saturday ~ Peonies by Mary Oliver...

Pink Peony ~ Portland Farmer's Market

The month of June and Peonies go hand in hand, I thought this would be a wonderful way to celebrate Beverley's Pink Saturday... http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Here is a poem, just about Peonies, by the ever wonderful Mary Oliver... 

I think of Mary Oliver's poems about flowers and nature in the same way as the late Georgia O'keeffe's flower paintings, rich, lush, sensual, powerful and full of female abundance..

Happy Pink Saturday Everyone..
Love,
Neinah

Peonies - 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 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?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Today is the day of peonies because there are many blogs featuring them today! And I love it! Happy Pink Saturday!

Char said...

Lots and lots of peonies out there today and it's all great. I can't grow them here in the desert and so I love to see them. Beautiful...Happy Pink Saturday, Char

Becky said...

Pink peonies are a lovely choice for today. Happy Pink Saturday!

Rebecca said...

LOL I agree with "jsimplylive" on it being "Peonies Day"! They are wonderful, indeed! Happy Pink Saturday!

Back Porch Blessings,
Rebecca

The Quintessential Magpie said...

That is one of my favorite flowers on earth! Just gorgeous!

XO,

Sheila :-)

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

Happy Belated Pink Saturday!

lovely flower.