This post is Part 1 of a 3-part series. Read Part 1 – Read Part 2 – Read Part 3
This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready
to break my heart
as the sun rises,
as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers
and they open–
pools of lace,
white and pink–
and all day the black ants climb over them,
boring their deep and mysterious holes
into the curls,
craving the sweet sap,
taking it away
to their dark, underground cities–
and all day
under the shifty wind,
as in a dance to the great wedding,
the flowers bend their bright bodies,
and tip their fragrance to the air,
and rise,
their red stems holding
all that dampness and recklessness
gladly and lightly,
and there it is again–
beauty the brave, the exemplary,
blazing open.
Do you love this world?
Do you cherish your humble and silky life?
Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?
Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden,
and softly,
and exclaiming of their dearness,
fill your arms with the white and pink flowers,
with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling,
their eagerness
to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are
nothing, forever?
“Peonies” by Mary Oliver
Watching everyone prepare for the wedding of Brooke and Josh at Costanoa, I got a feeling like the one this poem describes, and cherished my “humble and silky life” once again. The place was so beautiful, all green in the mist, the love between all of these old friends and lovers and family members so true, and the imminent vows were like flowers about to open. This feeling of sweet anticipation is why I love photographing the getting ready process so much.
Enjoy these photos of the moments before Brooke started down the aisle…more photos from that day will follow in the next few posts.
