Those Subtle Harmonies

My Phalaenopsis Orchid when she was young, May 1915

Can Flowers Change Your Life? XXIV.  June 5, 2016

The big orchid is shutting down,
its blooms losing one or two every day.
So frail, petals like onion skin, only
thinner, more fragile.  Our lives, too,
go so quickly.  It may take years 
to reach full bloom, and then that
passes, slowly, yes, but our bodies, too,
ultimately are frail.  We need our habit
of courage, our commitment to live
without complaint, do all that we can do,
remind ourselves we know how 
to work with human conflict and anger.
Discord is natural, but we all long for
those subtle harmonies which follow
when we lay down weapons and
dis-cover one another.  I can’t make
that happen, but I can love those
who let me, and welcome eager
questions and let others speak their
truth.  The mystery that follows 
has us all rejoicing, awed, committed,
and deeply reassured.  We know now
that we can win.  We’re at peace
and ready to fight evil wherever
it dares show its face.