Hydrangea bloom, delicious pink with hint of rich purple.
Weather-worn, tattered. Time taking its toll.
June’s performance must have been lovely.
Petals bunched together as a choir in harmony,
Singing, adoring—created just to be.
One by one, each member tires.
Its season changes, with proud resolve its colors deepen.
Its skin wears thin in places
Revealing marvelous structure,
Intricate patterns of a once-thriving system,
for nourishment, for living, for being.
In retirement, purpose is reframed.
Inner beauty becomes more clearly revealed.
We see strength depends on delicate systems.
Once masked by a soft, floral coat,
Now brittle, radiant in patina hue. Brave.
Wise, humble. Storyteller that still sings.
* * *
Aldridge Gardens, Hoover AL
August 2022
I saw this beauty out of the corner of my eye as I was calling it a day.
Should I take time to capture its image?
Yes, it was trying to tell me something I needed to hear, to share.