Peonies at Dusk
White peonies blooming along the porch
send out light
while the rest of the yard grows dim.
Outrageous flowers as big as human
heads! They’re staggered
by their own luxuriance: I had
to prop them up with stakes and twine.
The moist air intensifies their scent,
and the moon moves around the barn
to find out what it’s coming from.
In the darkening June evening
I draw a blossom near, and bending close
search it as a woman searches
a loved one’s face.
-- Jane Kenyon
Still gorgeous. :)
ReplyDeleteI just took ours out after they fell in reverence of petals all over Quan Yin's altar. I still find an incredible amount of beauty in fading flowers, be it because age helps in discovering that not all things new hold what we once thought of beauty or because they do hold the true essence of beauty in its most perfect transmutation.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, even faded. Reminds me of my grandmother. In both meanings.
ReplyDeleteperfection.
ReplyDeleteooooo lovely poem and photo.
ReplyDelete