There Will Come Soft Rains

AA said: Lovely! And btw, meant to tell you I am planting seeds to grow flowers and thyme! Slow going though! But i loved this and the sowing seeds messages.

BB said: No apologies needed. It is beautiful, I love this one.

CC said: j’ai beaucoup apprécié la période poèmes 😊 Merci 

DD said: Tack Sabina!!


There Will Come Soft Rains

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

And frogs in the pools singing at night,
And wild plum trees in tremulous white,

Robins will wear their feathery fire
Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;

And not one will know of the war, not one
Will care at last when it is done.

Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
If mankind perished utterly;

And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
Would scarcely know that we were gone.

Sara Teasdale

I apologise for overwhelming you with poetry - and I promise this will be the last one for a while! - but my favourite Teasdale poem feels so relevant right now. Written during World War I, these beautiful verses fit into today’s situation, where many live in an anxious state of confinement.

Teasdale refers to spring’s awakening, which is what we’re experiencing here in the northern hemisphere at this moment and which makes the whole situation easier. Nature takes its course, despite the dealings of mankind. 

I find the poem comforting; it’s a call not to despair, but to live in the here and now and enjoy the spring unfolding outside. Everything changes all the time, and soon the confinement will be over. 

A Little Seed

AA said: Der Text hätte auch von mir sein können... ich wandere morgens auch als erstes in den Garten und schaue, wo sich eine grüne Spitze zeigt. Die ersten Samen in den Beeten keimen schon. Es ist schon wieder sehr warm hier, für die Jahreszeit leider auch zu trocken. Deshalb gieße ich jeden Tag den ganzen Garten, vor allem dort, wo etwas sprießt. Und ja, was für ein Glück, einen Garten zu haben...

BB said: magnifique poème, merciiii!

A Little Seed

A little seed for me to sow

A little earth to make it grow.

A little hole,

A little pat,

A little wish,

And that is that.

A little sun,

A little shower,

A little while,

And then – a flower.

                Mabel Watts

This time of year little wonders are happening in my garden every day. During my morning tour I discover plants I had forgotten about, showing up here and there. Tulips, periwinkle, cowslip, and honesty smile at me all over the place and the flowering wild cherry trees add a touch of lightness and grace. Such an amazing period!

Some weeks ago I sowed lots of different seeds in pots inside the house. It brings a very special joy to observe growth that close: you plant your seed and – oh, the miracle! -  one fine day a tiny living being, the top of a green plant, emerges from the soil. In May when the Ice Saints have passed, I will plant out the seedlings of beans, peas, tomatoes and spinach into my veggie patch.

Not everybody is as lucky as me to have a garden, but even if you live in an apartment you can enjoy planting a little seed and watching it grow. All you need is a pot, soil and some seeds – and then you can watch how the miracle of life unfolds... 

Here’s What Poetry Can Do

Here’s What Poetry Can Do 

…And if you’re not asleepby now, or bored beyond sense,the poem wants you to laugh. Laugh atyourself, laugh at this poem, at all poetry.Come on:
Good. Now here’s what poetry can do.

Stephen Dunn : Poem for People That Are Understandably too Busy to Read Poetry

A period of confinement like the one we’re going through right now makes people creative. Among other things, I have immerged myself in reading poetry and re-launched the habit of learning favourite poems by heart.

Even if memorising isn’t your thing, reading poems can do a lot for you. When poets write about confinement during other periods of history, we can see that concentrating on all the little miracles of everyday life is a good way to deal with it. Poetry relativizes our problems. Poetry sharpens our perceptions and makes us feel more keenly and, last but not least, poetry simply beautifies our world…

PS The complete poem by Stephen Dunn can be found here.

Hug a Tree

AA said: Schön schön schön!!!!   Danke dafür!

BB said: trop bien et en plus avec Moomin 😍

CC said: Tack Sabina,   Vilken underbar metafor!

Hug a Tree

The other day I went up to a beautiful clearing in the forest above the village, where my favourite tree stands. It is an old larch tree, a real survivor. Lightning struck and mutilated it years ago, but it’s still full of strength and life. 

I hugged “my” tree for a long time, including friends and family in that warm embrace. What a wonderful moment of closeness and peace. It lifted up my whole day. 

Inspired by this heart-warming experience I once again searched my garden for a tree to hug closer by. My oldest cherry tree stands on a steep slope so I had discarded it, but now I secured the path up and built a little plateau to stand on. Then I hugged this gnarled companion, and it was perfect.

In times when social and physical contacts are scarce, hugging a tree makes even more sense. It fills your body and mind with happiness and somehow it makes your heart gentle.