For flowers...

This poem was written at the 'Poets in Nature' course at Emerson College, West Sussex (www.emerson.org.uk). It is a group effort, written together but silently, passing the pages to and from each other. The idea for the poem is the work of a poet from the 1700's, Christopher Smart. He wrote Jubilate Agno while imprisoned for 'religious mania'. Each line of the poem began "For...." and included the lines:

For flowers are good for both the living and the dead

For there is a language of flowers

For flowers are peculiarly the poetry of Christ.

Over 200 years later, we continued the poem. You can see the different writing styles in each person's section. There are some cracking lines in this unedited poem!

So...For flowers: 21st century edition...

For flowers look at us without judgment

For flowers salute the sun

For flowers forgive the foot that tramples

For flowers dance on one leg

For flowers can climb their own stalks

For flowers are seas of colour

For flowers strut and preen without envy

For flowers invented buttonholes

For flowers hold their heads confidently

For flowers bring momentary bliss to downtrodden souls

For flowers are the drinking vessels of bees

For flowers are for lifting the mood

For flowers sing out their bright colours

For flowers call you with their lifting scents

For flowers are brief loveliness, soon faded

For flowers brighten any room

For flowers dance with butterflies

For flowers are a poets rest

For flowers show the way

For flowers like to sway in the breeze

For flowers stay in the memory

For flowers reflect the stars

For flowers remind us to live for each day, to brighten each others lives where possible, to dance in the breeze and sing out joys and shake out our sadness.

For flowers are a miracle to behold every spring

For flowers are the candlelight of the dinner table

For flowers salute to the sun

For flowers defy climate and gravity

For flowers are strong and fragile at the same time

For flowers go out in all weathers

For flowers perfume the garden on a summer evening

For flowers sing to the soul

For flowers sing "praise" even if no human is listening

For the smallest flower, on the remotest rock, though unseen, opens

For flowers are the wings of the spirit

For flowers are the seas of colour

For flowers are the earth's delight

For flowers are trees for snails

For flowers are the stars of the ground

For flowers are the children of ecology

For flowers are the exuberence of a thought

For flowers enthuse with life in their midst

For flowers sing lullabies to the earth

For flowers are soothing

For flowers hear the rifts of the soul

For flowers calm with their sweet perfume

For flowers are the dreams of children

For flowers are a poem

For flowers are the reminder not to forget

For flowers are the soft beds of bees

For flowers mirror the life of the clouds

For flowers are the children of the planet

For flowers are the messengers of their roots

For flowers speak the truth of the heavens

For flowers are the fingertips of the planet

For flowers are healing

For flowers are generous

For flowers give without taking

For flowers look us straight in the eye without judgment

For flowers are more than human with a touch of the divine

For flowers sometimes reflect the divine in us

For flowers are often heard to chortle among themselves

For flowers sing the songs of the heavens

For flowers are the eyes of the beloved

For flowers whisper and age old secret

For flowers come and fade without tears

For flowers give themselves to their being

For flowers are the keepers of our prayers

For flowers are a shelter in times of uncertaintly

For flowers are our excuse when we have no other

For flowers don't mind being pressed between the pages of Deuteronomy

For flowers can stain your white shirt indellibly

For flowers invented buttonholes

For flowers lend their names to girls, but to boys more reluctantly

For flowers sometimes decide they have had enough, even before they have opened out

For flowers often take the blame

For flowers can be singularly reticent

For flowers are always giving thanks

For flowers are simply there

For flowers look at us without judgment

For flowers give more than they contain

For flowers ask to be met through our deep breathing

For flowers can give a dry sweetness

For flowers' eyes hold a steady gaze with the bee's face

For flowers can come and go in the same old place

For flowers forgive the foot that tramples them

For flowers grow even in shadows

For it is possible to make chains out of flowers

For the philisophy of flowers is to smile upon the world

For flowers bring momentary bliss to downtrodden souls

For flowers are the diviner's toy - he loves me, he loves me not

As if I didnt know the answer

Look at me!

Pathetically expecting

A flower to break its beauty

And tell me what I don't want to hear

For flowers are between the earth and the air

For flowers can dance on one leg

For flowers shine at dusk as well

For flowers can get up and bend down

For flowers sing in all colours

For flowers say hello, sorry and goodbye

For flowers come in all shapes and sizes

For flowers can climb up their own stalks

For flowers are fruits that are still getting there

For flowers can move from where they are put

For flowers flow outwards from where they start

For in every flower the truth is sung, for those who want to hear the eternal song.

Written by Anja, Sonia, Felicia, Kate, Paul, Concetta, Katherine, Chris and Kathy

1st May 2005