“A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in–what more could he ask?
A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars.” ― Victor Hugo
Nature
“Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,
Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;
And make us happy in the happy bees,
The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.”
Robert Frost
Forest Walk
By Kristine O’Connell George
I’m practicing my
I-belong-here
no-twig-snap
no-leaf-rustle
no-branch-crack
see-all, know-all
float-like-fog
like-smoke
pine-needle-soft
forest walk.
No one will know I’m coming.
No one will know when I’m gone.
Ecco mormorar l’onde
— Torquato Tasso
Now the waves murmur
And the boughs and the shrubs tremble
in the morning breeze,
And on the green branches the pleasant birds
Sing softly
And the east smiles;
Now dawn already appears
And mirrors herself in the sea,
And makes the sky serene,
And the gentle frost impearls the fields
And gilds the high mountains:
O beautiful and gracious Aurora,
The breeze is your messenger, and you the breeze’s
Which revives each burnt-out heart.
“Only by learning to live in harmony with your contradictions can you keep it all afloat.”
– Audre Lorde
The landscape affects the human psyche –
the soul, the body and the innermost contemplations –
like music. Every time you feel nature deeper you resonate better with her,
finding new elements of balance and freedom… — Nikos Kazantzakis
“Who would have thought it possible that a tiny little flower could preoccupy a person
so completely that there simply wasn’t room for any other thought.” – Sophie Scholl
Of all that is good, sublimity is supreme. Succeeding is the coming together of all that is beautiful.
Furtherance is the agreement of all that is just. Perseverance is the foundation of all actions.
— Lao Tzu
“Our job is to record, each in his own way, this world of light and shadow
and time that will never come again exactly as it is today.” – Edward Abbey
MM marks the first theme week for Monochrome Madness. The next one will be on Cinco de Mayo and so we’ll wait and see what Leanne comes up with for that. There are two galleries during theme week, one for the theme and one like there normally is for those that may not do a theme.
As always, Leanne Cole and Laura Macky’s weekly Monochrome Madness will be posted later today for your viewing pleasure on Leanne’s blog. If you would like to participate and submit a photo in the coming weeks, please email your monochrome image to leanne@leannecole.com.au and include a link to your blog or website if you have one. It doesn’t have to be WordPress blogger, it can be a Facebook page, a Flickr page, etc. Include your name or your blog name. The image size should be low resolution, so the largest size should be 1000 pixels or less. The deadline for submission is before 6 p.m. on or before Tuesday, Melbourne Australia time. The earlier the better for Leanne. If you should miss the deadline your photograph will be posted the following week. The complete instructions are posted on Leanne’s blog should you have any questions or need help.
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“A lovely nook of forest scenery, or a grand rock, like a beautiful woman,
depends for much of its attractiveness upon the attendance sense of freedom
from whatever is low; upon a sense of purity and of romance.” — P. T. Barnum
Maverick Mist 