“As long as we are able to be extravagant,
we will be hugely and damply extravagant.
Then we will drop foil by foil to the ground.
This is our unalterable task, and we do it joyfully.
And they went on. “Listen, the heart-shackles
are not, as you think,
death, illness, pain, unrequited hope,
not loneliness,
but lassitude, rue, vainglory,
fear,
anxiety,
selfishness.
Their fragrance all the while rising
from their blind bodies, making me
spin with joy.”
–When The Roses Speak: Pay Attention, by Mary Oliver, Devotions
Audio: I read the poem
Whew that woman’s mind, what a beauty. Thank you for sharing and bringing it to all my senses. I stopped and not only smelled the roses but heard them
Those flowers are absolutely stunning! I’m not sure if that is your photo or if it came with the poem, but that is the best one yet! The colors just sing! Their aura is truly visible!
It’s my photo Molly, thanks..I don’t use anyone else’s photo without credit..