The month of June is this wonderful, yet transient gardening time when nothing has gone wrong yet. No bug infestation, no drought, no unexplainable death among prized plants.
Instead, June is absolutely lush: growth is bursting, the greens and the blooms are fresh and unmarred, the air clear of oppressive humidity.
So much so that – are you surprised? – I’ve dedicated a poem to June. An “ode”, actually, which is a form popularized way back in ancient Greece that praises or glorifies a person, object or event.
June is worthy of an ode!
Of course, as the month started to wane, I battled aphids in the burning bush; watched the crab-apple leaves yellow and fall despite a lime-sulphur spray before bud break; and this year the bunnies have been either more numerous or hungrier. I have no Echinacea left. My favourite Helenium has been destroyed. And I’ve cut down one-third of the burning bush, dead because they noshed on the bark during the winter.
All that to say, today’s theme is wabi-sabi. A Japanese philosophy that encourages the appreciation of beauty that is imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. Wabi-sabi might look something like this:
Can you see the beauty here?
Like in this scene, my gardens have imperfection, impermanence and incompleteness galore. But there’s also this:
And this:
When I train my eyes to observe the beauty that is, actually, everywhere I look in the back yard, I calm down a bit. So I’m working on accepting imperfection and transience a little bit more.
What about you? Where are you finding the beautiful these days? Are you able to turn your focus away from imperfections?
Maybe we should all try to bring that June feeling out of the garden and into the rest of our lives. Keep our eyes and minds focussed on the wabi-sabi style of beauty. To get you started, here’s my latest Poetry Art, titled – you guessed it! – “Wabi-Sabi.”
Lee Ann
What Else is New?
- My latest author interview. Sue Williams’ new book is her third about the settlement of Australia through the eyes of real-life women. The Governor, His Wife and His Mistress describes the life of Ann Inett, a convict sentenced to the Australian penal colony for seven years. Read my interview with Sue Williams here.
- My new radio gig! I’m reading poetry on a local radio show, The Common Thread, where the host presents songs (and often a poem from me!) all to do with a particular theme. All the details here.
What inspiration! There is beauty to be found and enjoyed as nature progresses.
Thank you, Teresa! I do continue to be inspired and also informed by M. Nature!
Hi Lee Ann!
I have always found more beauty in nature when it looks imperfect.
Gives me a sense of calmness.
Happy to see you are accepting that more. Your gardens are beautiful!
Thank you, Yasmine! I think you’re are right that beauty in nature is usually imperfect and also, surprisingly, we can find calm in that. It’s often a case of retraining our eyes to find the beauty within the incomplete, imperfect and impermanent, yes? I know that’s been the case for me!