Muse Day-My Symphony

My Symphony*

To live content with small means.

To seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion.

To be worthy not respectable,
and wealthy not rich.

To study hard, think quietly, talk gently,
act frankly, to listen to stars, birds, babes,
and sages with open heart, to bear all cheerfully,
do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never.

In a word, to let the spiritual,
unbidden and unconscious,
grow up through the common.

This is to be my symphony.

By William Ellery Channing

The above images were taken while standing under the canopy of my dear neighbor Mickey’s Brugmansia ‘Charles Grimaldi’. It was like being under a magical umbrella of fragrance with the sun shining through the leaves and downward facing trumpets of golden yellow. I didn’t want to come out! Click here to read last year’s story about my sweet neighbors. There are three plants in this bed that remain in the ground all winter with a cage of chopped leaves for protection. This year they were late to regrow and he feared they had not survived. His dear wife of over fifty years, Mae, passed away this spring and his gardening efforts are not what they once were. But these brugs still radiate love and beauty in his amazing garden.

Mickey had generously cut some leaves from his banana tree for me to attempt leaf castings. They all broke while being unmolded, but this brug leaf was a success and was left on his back porch as a token of friendship.

Many thanks to Carolyn Gail of Sweet Home And Garden Chicago for hostessing the muse day on the first of each month. We are late, but hope she will allow us to join in this wonderful meme.

Frances

*This poem was clipped from a newspaper long ago and sits on a paper spindle, pierced through the center as inspiration. The words speak of a life well lived, a noble goal.

Added: Lotusleaf of Garden Tropics has kindly informed me that today is the birthday of Mahatma Ghandi. Very fitting poem to honor that great man. Thanks so much for that, Lotus. 🙂