Co(a)ld Pressed, May 24, 2003
The bloom of the white iris covers me in serenity and peace. Coated in its lightness, I am able to sequester love in the depths of my heart. Though dusted in coal, these petals soften the mind and give hope in the grieving of old loves. Cut from the stalk, the iris gives itself in sacrifice to a greater good: serenity and peace in the way of solemnity and solitude. Gifted then in lightness, the coal lives on only coating the surface of my heart, not to be taken in as a life-blood. Dusted then in coal, this heart goes on beating, carrying serenity and peace through the tissues of a body that embodies solemnity and solitude, turning chaos into an ordered sense of harmony. In this way, the bloom of the iris is the bloom of the eye, the active blink of a moment, as we learn to see more, and all we can see becomes open and light. The goddess of rainbows, Iris, gifts color after heavy rains, answering all weathered thoughts with a simple touch of light as we beckon her call in the dreariness of winter, as spring roots sleep and snow piles high on our doorsteps. We learn by the light of Iris that the dreariness too, has meaning in our hearts. For the color and brightness of her light shines only brighter as a season of deep sleep ends upon her call. The bloom of the iris is the bloom of Iris, lifting dreariness on high to welcome in a season of growth, heat and light. Her light carries on through the dimness of a clouded winter sun, into young leaves, into caterpillars that devour young leaves as they morph into winged versions of prior lives. We too, take this course, carrying her light with us in our hearts through the dim season until we can bask in the warmth of a summer sun. We too, take flight as Iris’ call to show the colors of our being comes into our lives. The call comes when it comes. And as we beckon the call to lightness, we gift the world the beauty of our bloom, even from a sleeping root, as she rallies the brightness of the sun and lights the sky in color in celebration of what we may offer the world.
-Rob Borges |
