Chinese lanterns

The Chinese lanterns are perched

carefully in their vase.

I watch them slowly fade

from the burnt orange hollow

to brown lace.

Complete with a tiny red bulb

to light the way

as time passes through it.

And as I wait for the deep orange glow

of the Autumn to come

I see disintegration as opportunity.

Even within these silent dreams that remain

there is much that is still quite alive.

Week 33. Stages of change.

While upstate I collected a bunch of Chinese lantern blossoms from an open field. I put them in a brown ceramic vase and placed them on my dining room table. As each day passed I admired the variety of textures and colors. Some with bright orange blossoms, others dryer- passing mid stage, and still others completely transformed into a delicate brown lace. I couldn’t help but think about how each branch represented the stages of life. Then I thought about my own life. Which branch would I be? Mid way between the life I’ve lived and the life that is before me.

What really caught my attention though were the blossoms that were barely even there, the ones that looked as though they were just a skeleton of the lantern form. They were so delicately intact and yet there was something still alive in there. The seeds were still enveloped within the red bulb in the center. There was still hope somewhere in there, still a few small dreams yet to be realized. I began to consider that I too had some dreams yet to discover of my own. I’ve come to realize that observing changes in nature can help me learn more about my own thoughts and feelings . It’s hard to see change in ourselves, were just too close. But we can see it in others and we can learn by watching others nurture their dreams as they move through the stages of their lives.