Memory Lane

The carousel is my memory lane. It is as if I were in a dream and got to sit on a wooden horse to travel round and round on a merry-go-round – carefree, without worries.

The horses of all shapes and sizes

Go ‘round and ‘round as we hold tight

To the memories of the precious times

We spent with each other our lives entwined

The circle goes ‘round and ‘round with no end

As forever the love of our friendship stands

 

Surrounding the carousel are things that bring me joy.

If you ever take paths lined with trees and plants, perhaps you have discovered the fragrance of the honeysuckle before you saw the flowers. The white flowers, which turn into yellow, also have a sweet nectar. Honeysuckle is one of the berry-producing plants that warblers like. To see a beautiful prothonotary warbler who sings a melodious song, paired with the beautiful honeysuckle with a sweet aroma, is a joy for all. Harmony.

White butterflies bring luck and are believed to be bearers of dreams. The marigolds are known in Vietnamese as “Ten-Thousand-Year Life” flowers. The white butterfly on the marigolds must mean it will bring beautiful dreams to our long and lucky lives.

The hydrangea blooms from early spring to the end of autumn. They can have different colors, but the pink ones are my favorite because I think of them as Beating Hearts.

I hope the colors of the garden I visited bring you joy. Flower gardens almost stop time and slow your steps so that you are not in a hurry, so allow you to linger to enjoy their sights and scents. I believe if you are lost in a garden, you will have the inspiration to become a poet, a writer, or an artist.

Forests represent mysteries and growth. I love forests when I started to make daily walks in the forests during Covid19 time. I saw the change from the spring when tree branches are still bare, to the summer when trees are full of leaves, to the beginning of fall when leaves start to turn colors and drop to the ground. I have witnessed the growth of the forest, a mystery of the universe.

If the pink hydrangeas are beating hearts, and hearts beat love, then the Rays of Love are shot out from the hydrangeas to everyone everywhere.

Lilies are often used in traditional Asian weddings to represent love. Dragonflies represent happiness. Love and happiness are the pursuit of humankind. They are important to us, more than ever, during time of Covid19.

We are attracted to butterflies because they are beautiful, and they represent good things like hope and endurance. I was lucky to find the butterfly which did not fly away upon my approach, but stayed and spun itself on the coneflower. I recorded its movement on the static flower, which perhaps expresses hope amid changes while certain things like love stays constant.