A winsome nod to a delicate, pretty little flower (a type of spirea, if I'm not mistaken). I love the idea (which you captured so well) of a flower's presence through a life(from childhood to bride): "the many years before I could picture myself dressed in white"
Thanks, you two. This one has a particular meaning for me and my life, but I enjoy hearing others' valid interpretations of it. An interesting feature of the tanka form/genre? The ambiguity that typically is left within the lines so readers can participate?
Yes, bridal wreath is a spirea. It's one of the few plants we seem to be able to grow here without a lot of difficulty. By the start of autumn, it's looking fairly scraggly, almost burnt from the harsh summer sun (so I have to trim out a few branches). But it starts returning to life in late Feb. What I don't like: that the blooms only last for a short while - because they're marvelous!
I saw this in Moonbathing. It made me remember my own teenage years when I dreamed of getting married, but felt I would never be so lucky because I was shy and wore glasses. The agonies we go through when we are young seem so small now that there are more important things to worry about.
A winsome nod to a delicate, pretty little flower (a type of spirea, if I'm not mistaken). I love the idea (which you captured so well) of a flower's presence through a life(from childhood to bride):
ReplyDelete"the many years
before I could picture
myself dressed in white"
A lovely, subtle little poem with layers of meaning hidden in the contrast between "early blooms" and "many years."
ReplyDeleteThanks, you two. This one has a particular meaning for me and my life, but I enjoy hearing others' valid interpretations of it. An interesting feature of the tanka form/genre? The ambiguity that typically is left within the lines so readers can participate?
ReplyDeleteYes, bridal wreath is a spirea. It's one of the few plants we seem to be able to grow here without a lot of difficulty. By the start of autumn, it's looking fairly scraggly, almost burnt from the harsh summer sun (so I have to trim out a few branches). But it starts returning to life in late Feb. What I don't like: that the blooms only last for a short while - because they're marvelous!
I saw this in Moonbathing. It made me remember my own teenage years when I dreamed of getting married, but felt I would never be so lucky because I was shy and wore glasses. The agonies we go through when we are young seem so small now that there are more important things to worry about.
ReplyDeleteAdelaide