Wednesday, October 20, 2010

don't fade away

i walked 'round my garden this morning to see the various stages of letting go that my plants are experiencing.

the hostas are spectacular in their decay -
each leaf surrounded by a golden halo in the vivid bright light of this october morning.

the words of brendan perry entered my mind as i photographed this beautiful plant:

"don't fade away my brown-eyed girl,
come walk with me, i'll fill your heart with joy,
and we'll dance through our isolation
seeking solace in the wisdom we bestow,
turning thoughts to the here and ever after,
consuming fears in our fiery halos."


oh my girl
i know you're still in there
somewhere well beyond
your pale yellow leaves
your dried stalks



like the skin
on the back of my hand
gently wrinkled
and veined
so many acts of kindness
and goodness
contained and waiting
in their frail mortality


you can hear brendan's words sung here:



you can read the words of brendan perry "don't fade away"

14 comments:

Tess Kincaid said...

Perfect. The thoughts, the images, the music. I loved this.

Reya Mellicker said...

I love being on a wavelength with you, Steven. Just before I came here, I posted a picture on FB (a scary looking skeletal angel someone put up in their front yard). The caption? "The Dead Can Dance."

Oh yeah. Happy Wednesday to you!

Reya Mellicker said...

Should also have said, I LOVE these pictures, the way you bring us closer and closer to the beautiful fading hostas. Thanks.

Golden West said...

Love that pumpkin orange color!

The Weaver of Grass said...

How come your hostas are not riddled with slug holes steven? And what a lovely colour they are - mine have gone all pale and slimy.

Linda Sue said...

That drummer is in the wrong band! Love the song and believe it or not (must be under a rock that does not roll) have never heard it before!
We can only hope to be as exquisite as the hostas when we fade...as we fade- some are more fade-ier than others...My mother had brown eyes that remained rich and warm as the rest of her greyed, faded. Her eyes could still the storm.

steven said...

willow thankyou. i took great pleasure in preparing and sharing it all. steven

steven said...

reya - i have no presence on facebook. a professional consideration primarily and then personal in other ways. a little voice says "you're missing out". another voice says "stay there." steven

steven said...

reya - so many of my little plant friends are fading away and hiding inside themselves and under the ground or wherever they need to go. i wonder if serious gardeners weap more at this time of year or have it all well in hand?! steven

steven said...

golden west - the colours of autumn - well i don't use them on my walls but i love them in nature's rooms. steven

steven said...

weaver - i have little fairies who saddle up the slugs and ride them off into the farmer's fields nearby where they enjoy the slug rodeo's and fairs!!! steven

steven said...

linda sue - the tune is uncharacteristically soft and unpercussive for dcd and so the clips are from other tunes they play. one wil pop up here sooner or later or eventually, whichever comes first. my mum's mum had blue blue eyes and even when she was fading away they held clarity of the kind that little children or malamutes have. it was gloriously accompanied by deep rich detailed stories of her childhood. oh yeah!!! steven

Linda Sue said...

Consider Facebook- It is what you make it and you can still maintain your dignity...I don't but it can be done.

steven said...

linda sue the dilemma i face is that my students are also on facebook and many teachers have been taken down because something they shared there became common property. my blog was recently shared as an exemplar by a colleague. i then had to consider becoming more circumspect about what i said. paranoia!!!! yep you bet. steven