Desert Poppies – A Poem

Golden Desert Poppies

Desert Poppies © 2013 Bo Mackison

Notice how present a flower is, how surrendered to life. ~ Eckhart Tolle

It is a beautiful place, this desert.

Hard to imagine its fullness of life, its diversity
until I explored her land each day.

Tread on mountain paths lightly frosted in mid winter
scrambled into washes torn asunder by summer flash floods.
Walked her rocky trails aware of each footfall,
threaded my way through deep crevice mazes.

I reach towards a saguaro to steady my balance
only to pull back in mild shock
imagining my hand pierced with the spines of a saguaro.

I stand in her washes in spring, the desert in her blossoming season,
admire the waving yellow poppies, their throats flushed with red,
their roots grounded in a chaos of rock and grit,
their silken petals a delicate offering amidst so much ruggedness.

—————-

Oh the places, the spaces in the desert; the discoveries, the inspiration in the desert.

Flower Mandala — Symmetrical Cosmos

Cosmos © 2015 Bo Mackison

Cosmos © 2015 Bo Mackison

“The beauty of a living thing is not the atoms that go into it, but the way those atoms are put together.”  ~ Carl Sagan

Flower Mandala – Queen Anne’s Lace

Queen Anne's Lace © 2015 Bo Mackison

Queen Anne’s Lace © 2015 Bo Mackison

 

Flower Mandala – Pink Coneflower

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Pink Coneflower ©2105 Bo Mackison


Creating the flower mandalas has evolved into a daily “slow” practice for me. The ritual of walking through one of the city’s gardens, choosing which flower to photograph, and creating the image so it captures the essence of the flower as I see it.

Such joy for me. And, so grateful that I can share these mandalas and offer this joy to my friends.

Flower Mandala – Pink Zinnia

Pink Zinnia ©2015 Bo Macksion

Pink Zinnia ©2015 Bo Mackison