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Everything Flowers from Within

March 24, 2008

susan_preston_thebud.jpg

Star Magnolia Bud ~ Canon 30d


The bud
stands for all things,
even those things that don't flower,
for everything flowers, from within, of self-blessing;
though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow
of the flower
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely
until it flowers again from within, of self-blessing;
as St. Francis
put his hand on the creased forehead
of the sow, and told her in words and in touch
blessings of earth on the sow, and the sow
began remembering all down her thick length,
from the earthen snout all the way
through the fodder and slops to the spiritual curl of
the tail,
from the hard spininess spiked out from the spine
down through the great broken heart
to the blue milken dreaminess spurting and shuddering
from the fourteen teats into the fourteen mouths sucking
and blowing beneath them:
the long, perfect loveliness of sow.

St. Francis and the Sow, by Galway Kinnell


I love this poem. To think that St. Francis (and the metaphor of god and spirit he represents) could find beauty in the teats of a fat pig gives me hope on the path toward truly loving and fully accepting myself. Every inch of our being is "perfect loveliness" ~ every wrinkle, every sag... all the blotches and moles, both inside and out... are beautiful. But there's little I can do to get you see it and to feel it. No, that's a risk each of us must take on our own ~ the risk of believing in the power and radiance of our inner and outer being. A flower is not forced to bloom ~ the blooming manifests itself from within. Galway Kinnell says All things flower from within of self-blessing. Whether you feel it or not, tip toe across the barrier of self-loathing and begin remembering today. Risk opening your heart ~ unclench the fist of self-judgment ~ begin the journey of remembering your loveliness. With practice, petal by petal, the core of who you are and why you're here will begin to reveal itself, and the world will begin reflecting your goodness back to you in wonderful ways.

I am surrounded by love
I am filled with love
I am loving and lovable
I share my warmth, beauty, and love with the world this day.


To hear a recording of the poet reading this poem, click here.

Posted by vincent at March 24, 2008 07:01 PM

Comments

Oh, what a great photo - I love Magnolias so much, but here the spring seems to be so far away (we got a lot of snow again... brrrr). I stopped by due to your publication at "Artful blogging"... thanks for sharing and I will definetely return. :) Especially I love your macro photos of flowers. I am a beginner with the reflex camera. Cheers, Manja

Posted by: Manja at March 25, 2008 06:02 AM

Remembering our loveliness... what a beautiful line Susan. Indeed, we need to focus on our beauty and what we can offer the world. Have a beautiful day.

Posted by: jayne at March 25, 2008 06:58 AM

There are times that I can feel soooooooo loathsome to myself and be my own worst critic. It's nice to have a wondrous friend to remind me of what is true. And we can egage life fully with a soft heart and somehow allow our own basic goodness to break the outer shell of our projections. An angel spoke to me the other night and told me not to clutch the flowers, or they will die.

May you always live with ease Susan. See you at Metta tonight. Bob

Posted by: Bob at March 25, 2008 03:06 PM

Absolutely stunning photo, poem and words. Thank you, Susan, for a lovely spiritual lift on a still sick, cloudy and boring day.

Posted by: janet at March 26, 2008 02:16 PM

Yes, everything flowers from within. We all have this heart of tenderness from which springs good thoughts and good views and good actions. I think it is good to look into our own heart of tenderness and compassion and trust in it.

Posted by: Bob at March 28, 2008 12:54 PM