March snowstorms are uncommon in the Atlanta area, but they’re not completely unheard of. This was a bright sunny day in the low 70’s, however, and the local weathermen hadn’t been predicting the end of the world... so what was going on?
It was a storm of petals.
The Bradford pears and cherry blossoms, having been in bloom for the past couple of weeks, were now shedding those blooms. They fluttered down gently, coaxed by a soft breeze.
I thought back to the previous year, when a violent rainstorm knocked all of the blossoms off the trees in a single day. This was different. This was... beautiful.
The tree-blossoms lie now in drifts along our driveway. Soon they’ll turn brown, shrivel up, blow away, and become part of the soil, eventually becoming the constituents of future flowers. But meanwhile, they provide a gentle reminder that Spring is here at last.
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6 comments:
... just beautiful, sir.... it instantly reminded me of this...
http://straightwhiteguy.mu.nu/archives/172886.php
.... our dogwoods are just starting to bud and shall be in full bloom in a few weeks.....
Soon they’ll turn brown, shrivel up, blow away, and become part of the soil, eventually becoming the constituents of future flowers. . .
Well, Sir, won't we all. And given the ultimate outcome, all of us should endeavor not to miss the spring because we are focused on something else that, in the great scheme of things, just isn't that important.
Pure poetry ... The Japanese make a big deal of falling cherry petals as a garden element:
"...the magnificence of its flower-laden boughs and the picturesque flutter of its falling petals, inspired an ancient poet to liken it to the "soul of Yamato" (Japan) ...
I wish we had blossomstorms here. Among other things, Monkey would love to watch it. And by watch it I mean bang her head against the window trying to annihilate the flutters.
Jealous -- that's me. We're getting the real thing in Chicago tonight. The weather man says we can expect 2-3 more inches between now and the middle of April.
*Sigh*
I love that phrase --- "a storm of petals."
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