Popular Posts

Wednesday 24 April 2013

The Resilience of Plants


The resilience of the plants to survive
against all odds a winter such as we
have just experienced... what doesn't
kill you, hardens I suppose. But some
were killed. Chrysanthemums. (The very
ones which seemed the hardiest of all.)
Shocked. Water-boarded -- plant variety.
A few found shelter. Some under snow.
Bluebells, for example, honoured their
appointments, but with energy full spent.
Yet still you'll need to look with care
to see the gaps the weather makes in land.
Some early plants still struggle - and
this well into spring. Most thrive and
little by little nature keeps its promise.
But even so, they've shipped in extra
daffodils to circumvent the shortfall in
the shops. Some traders even selling silk
or plastic blooms that made a bomb -- or so
I have been told. But then again, some
customers have been appalled and charged
the traders with being eco-infidels -- or
do I mean insurgents (of the green variety?

Written in response to The Sunday Wordle Post #105

9 comments:

Mary said...

Ha, the idea of eco-infidels made me laugh. I like your take on these difficult words. Let spring continue, with or without insurgents of the green variety!

Carl said...

As the world wakes from its deep winter slumber. It's a great time to be noticing the world.

Brian Miller said...

smiles...eco-infidels...i feel for the plants...esp this year when the season seems to be schizophrenic...hot cold sun snow...and still some struggle on...its pretty cool how the living flowers melt a hole around themselves...putting off heat...

Janine Bollée said...

David, don't know if you were word[le]bound and of necessity deviated slightly from the truth, but my experience with this late flowering Spring has been the direct opposite of what you describe: I've never experienced abundance and quality like this before. It is a little overwhelming: fieldfuls of everything, from scilla via primroses to violets, forget-me-nots, pulsatilla, windflowers, vinca, convallaria, narcissi, muscari, you name it. All better and more profuse than ever.

I find this a puzzling phenomenon: are these plants fighting for species survival in a manner of procreate and die?
Anyway, shortsighted it may be, but I am enjoying every second of this delightful display.

Nanka said...

"Eco-infidels" is classic and love the gentle tone to this poem despite the words suggesting the contrary!

flaubert said...

Some excellent wordplay in this, Dave. The weather is most definitely loopy and causing all kinds of changes. I am quite delighted to see you over at the whirl. Thanks so much for reading my piece and commenting.

Pamela

Elephant's Child said...

Sellers of plastic flowers are certainly eco-infidels in my book. I am very grateful to you for the term and will borrow/steal it if I may.
It always amazes me what survives heat/drought/cold. Often the last plants that I would have expected to.
A stunning poem - thank you.

haricot said...

It is always delightful to find some tiny flowers which have survived the hardness.
The energy gives us hope. Thank you for this poem, Dave.

Dave King said...

Mary
Yes, indeedy, I go along with that!

Carl
True, very true.

Brian
Oh, I do like your schizophrenic seasons. Seems to describe it exactly! Much thanks for this.

aprille
No, not so. I would rather play fast and loose with the words themselves than with the subject of the poem. Everything is factual, though very local. In fact, with the exception of the references to artificial flowers it all relates to our gardens. The chrysanthemums do appear to have died, the bluebells made it out of bed, so to speak, but definitely were not themselves. Nothing was made up or "spun".

I do like your hypothesis though, that some might be fighting for species survival!

Nanka
Thanks for such ann encouraging comment. Much appreciated.

Pamela
It was a great pleasure to have had only my second dip at The Whirl. I do not often find wordles conducive, but I must say that on the two occasions the words stood out invitingly and I saw a poem coming from the very first encounter. Thanks for the prompt and for the comment.

Elephant's Child
Thank you so much for these encouraging words. Some very high profile stores and florists were "driven" to stock artificial daffs, apparently unable to get the real thing in time for Easter.

And sure you may use eco-infidels. I'm not a possessive guy!

haricot
Couldn't agree with you more. I find some of the smallest survivors the most delightful.