Fountain of sorrow

THE WILD IRIS

At the end of my suffering
there was a door.

Hear me out: that which you call death
I remember.

Overhead, noises, branches of the pine shifting.
Then nothing. The weak sun
flickered over the dry surface.

It is terrible to survive
as consciousness
buried in the dark earth.

Then it was over: that which you fear, being
a soul and unable
to speak, ending abruptly, the stiff earth
bending a little. And what I took to be
birds darting in low shrubs.

You who do not remember
passage from the other world
I tell you I could speak again: whatever
returns from oblivion returns
to find a voice:

from the center of my life came
a great fountain, deep blue
shadows on azure seawater.

~ Louise Glück

Del centro della mia vita venne una grande fontana

which is the unforgettable line by Louise Gluck, translated into Italian:
"From the center of my life came a great fountain" oriana-poetry


The iris's history is rich, dating back to Ancient Greek times when the Greek Goddess Iris, the messenger of the gods and the personification of the rainbow, acted as the link between heaven and earth. Purple irises were planted over the graves of women to summon the Goddess to guide the dead in their journey. Ancient Egyptian kings marveled in the iris's exotic nature, and drawings have been found of the flower in a number of Egyptian palaces. During the Middle Ages, the meaning of irises became linked to the French monarchy, and the Fleur-de-lis eventually became the recognized national symbol of France. From their earliest years, irises were used to make perfume and as a medicinal remedy. Today, they are primarily seen in gardens, in bouquets, and in the wild all over the world.


This iris is for our Molly, my Molly, her passing opened a fountain of sorrow wet with tears. I need not explain, she meant much to this community. She was a daily messenger for me, an embodiment of my true meaning of blipfoto. Molly will always be part of this community and I'll try to welcome the new-comers and chat with the old hands as she did. I think we are in a unique situation here, we see through each other's eyes as we pour over these countless images. Sometimes we glimpse more and 'know' blip friends differently but as deeply as folks we have known in the flesh for years.

I am again fighting the tides of sorrow, the powerful ebb and flow of grief, its unwelcome waves washing over me. It's hard to catch my breath this morning, my blip experience has changed and it will take a while to swim again unfettered in the new normal, but I will, we all will, together.

Somehow last night I passed 100,000 views, something I find astonishing.

As Molly always said...

For the record,

Today came in stormy. Rain showers, gusty winds, 6 mph from the S. 42 degrees at 7AM. 95% humidity, barometer 31.92, steady