Almond Branches in Bloom
Center of all centers, innermost core,
almond sweetening in its self-embrace—
all of this, out to the stars,
is the fruit of your body. We greet you.
You feel how little clings to you now.
Endlessness is your shell,
and there, too, the strength.
It is summoned by the radiance
of the full and glowing suns
that wheel around you.
Yet those stars will be outlasted
by what you have begun.
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The almond tree blossoms (matures) early, in late winter, and up to 25 feet high. It has many references in the Bible, as one of the best of fruits and as both source of light and symbol of Tree of Life.
ReplyDeleteI shall take this as my totem today--"almond sweetening in its self-embrace"
ReplyDeleteSo wonderful, Maureen.
ReplyDeleteMiss Jane, I thought of you connected with this when I read your comment at Erin's.
Ahh, Endlessness is your shell . . . !
Miss Jane, oops, the comment of yours I saw was at Brendan's, about embracing yourself.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed! Thx.
ReplyDeleteRuth,
ReplyDeleteYou have posted a beautiful poem with my favourite Van Gogh's painting. I always refer to this blossom branches as an inspirational birth of life. There is a legend in my country about a princess who came from a Northern European country and married our king. She missed so much snow that she was very sad(we only have snow in Portugal in our highest mountain and just for a month or two). So the king to make her happier planted thousands of almond trees and decided to surprise her when all the branches were blossoming with thousands of white flowers which from far seemed like snow. And the Queen was happy again. :)
Hugs from Portugal, Chris