Friday Photo Finish: Bird of Paradise

“The forest is a peculiar organism of unlimited kindness and benevolence that makes no demands for its sustenance and extends generously the products of its life and activity; it affords protection to all beings, offering shade even to the axe-man who destroys it.” attributed to The Buddha

Thanks to my much treasured friend, Mick B. for this wonderful quote. It reminds me also of the visions of a generous nature sharing often stunning beauty amid the dreck of city life: the intrusive metal posts and gates with their rusty chains; the garbage, dust and dirt; the sometimes awkward or sterile architectures housing human beings boxed and stacked twelve or more stories high.

This lush and colorful bird of paradise is thriving in the squalor of a bank parking lot alongside some smelly dumpsters belonging to the bank’s neighbor, a pizzeria.

(c) 2015, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved — *(c) 2015, photograph, Jamie Dedes, All rights reserved*

14 Comments

Kenny says:

February 17, 2015 at 2:03 pm

What kind of alien world did that plant come from ? Truly stunning nice presentation !

LikeLike

Reply
1. Jamie Dedes says:
  
  March 3, 2015 at 5:06 pm
  
  No idea of its origins. It is common hereabouts. (San Francisco Bay Area.)
  
  LikeLiked by 1 person
  
  Reply
  1. Kenny says:
    
    March 4, 2015 at 9:52 am
    
    Thanks it’s a great find
    
    LikeLiked by 1 person
    
    Reply
Water Over Fire says:

February 2, 2015 at 2:38 am

Wonderful, Jamie. Nature blooming in the urban jungle — you found the yin to the yang.

LikeLike

Reply
tigerbrite says:

January 8, 2015 at 4:53 am

Stunning photo Jamie. Such beauty in amongst the trash and concrete.

LikeLike

Reply
Sharmishtha Basu says:

January 5, 2015 at 9:29 pm

What a flower!

LikeLike

Reply
dragonkatet says:

January 4, 2015 at 11:32 am

What a stunning photo, Jamie! I enjoyed the quote, as well. I love coming across unexpected natural beauty in places like the concrete jungle. Even a small weed flower growing in a sidewalk crack is enough to remind us that Gaia will always find a way. 🙂

LikeLike

Reply
ManicDdaily says:

January 3, 2015 at 3:37 pm

Love the quote also, Jamie–and crazy photo–I’m sure you’ve doctored it but so vibrant. Also, I loved visiting your other poems–particularly the first one–well all, but the sense of loss so palpable and the wish to somehow assist quite beautiful. Thanks. k. (PS HAPPY NEW YEAR!)

LikeLike

Reply
1. Jamie Dedes says:
  
  January 3, 2015 at 3:40 pm
  
  Thank you, k. I just intensified the exposure a bit. It was actually moving toward dusk, which I’ve found perfect for capturing flowers. Their color pops and doesn’t fade at that time of day. Interestingly, on the hand, I’ve found that photograph the pond or ocean works best around noon. ??? !!! So much to learn, eh? Happy New Year. Keep those fab poems and elephants coming.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply
  1. ManicDdaily says:
    
    January 3, 2015 at 3:42 pm
    
    Ha–thanks. You are very kind. k.
    
    LikeLike
    
    Reply
mairmusic says:

January 2, 2015 at 12:45 pm

Great photo! and v.cool musing.

LikeLike

Reply
slpmartin says:

January 2, 2015 at 7:52 am

A good thought to begin the year.

LikeLike

Reply
Gretchen Del Rio says:

January 2, 2015 at 7:42 am

These are truly spectacular plants in their perfection.

LikeLike

Reply
creatingpaths says:

January 2, 2015 at 5:00 am

Nature will survive. Great post.

LikeLike

Reply

Thank you! Cancel reply

Enter your comment here...

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Email (required) (Address never made public)

Name (required)

Website

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out / Change )

You are commenting using your Google account. ( Log Out / Change )

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out / Change )

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out / Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

“I want my friends to understand that “staying out of politics” or being “sick of politics” is privilege in action. Your privilege allows you to live a non-political existence. Your wealth, your race, your abilities or your gender allows you to live a life in which you likely will not be a target of bigotry, attacks, deportation, or genocide. You don’t want to get political, you don’t want to fight because your life and safety are not at stake.

“It is hard and exhausting to bring up issues of oppression (aka “get political”). The fighting is tiring. I get it. Self-care is essential. But if you find politics annoying and you just want everyone to be nice, please know that people are literally fighting for their lives and safety. You might not see it, but that’s what privilege does.” / Kristen Tea, motherwiselife.org

Over 522,000 views by and more than 156,000 visits from poets, writers and lovers of literature and art
Over 25,000 comments by poets and friends
Nearly 6,900 subscribers via WordPress, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and eMail.
Opportunities: Calls for Submissions, Contests, Events and Other Information and News
Support for Freedom of Expression; Peace, Sustainability, Social Justice
Wednesday Writing Prompt, see your poems on theme published the following Tuesday
Enjoy poems and poets, including underrepresented voices and poets just finding their voices in maturity

Rock with us …

“A poet’s work . . . to name the unnamable, to point at frauds, to take sides, start arguments, shape the world and stop it from going to sleep.” Salman Rushdie

Unless otherwise noted, the content of this blog, including the photos and text (poems, essays, stories, feature articles), are owned by Jamie Dedes. Links and short excerpts of a post (up to 5 lines) may be used with credit and a link back the post or you may use the Word Press reblog function.

Please do not copy, print or post the work of guest poets, writers and photographers without their permission. Leave a comment on the post and I’ll put you in touch.

Photographs of recommended products are generally the property of the producer.

Contact thepoetbyday@gmail.com with questions or for permissions.

The Poet by Day is an information hub for poets and writers. Featured each week are Calls for Submissions, Contests, Events and other useful news. Responses to WEDNESDAY WRITING PROMPTS are published on the following Tuesday. SEND ANNOUNCEMENTS AND PRESS RELEASES to thepoetbyday@gmail.com

Actively supports freedom of expression, sustainability and human rights.

The BeZine fosters understanding through a shared love of the arts and humanities and all things spirited; seeks to make a contribution toward personal healing and deference for the diverse ways people try to make moral, spiritual and intellectual sense of a world in which illness, violence, despair, loneliness and death are as prevalent as hope, friendship, reason and birth. Submissions to Jamie Dedes bardogroup@gmail.com

Actively supports peace, environmental sustainability, social justice and a life of the spirit.

A Letter to Jonathan by Manouk Rachelle Rosenfeld

A Letter to Jonathan by Manouk Rachelle Rosenfeld — dedicated by its writer to Yonatan Zaken, who died too young. The BeZine dedicates it also to the 45 young and old Israelis who died last week, and to all loved ones lost during this past year.

Sometimes life is full of questions

What do you feel when a rock of ages tumbles into the the sea when something you relied on sat upon, learned from and leaned on for good counsel that you needed to be reassured and feel secured and rooted in your trials, to be there regardless, even if you were somewhere else entirely … […]

having no one to keep us | 8 poems by gary lundy

The Book of Lumenations — Interview with Adeena Karasick

Introduction to Eicha—Adeena Karasick Particularly speaking to this “Covid moment,” Eicha (איכה) comprises 5 videopoems which takes as its jumping off point, the Biblical Eicha, The Book of Lamentations, which laments the destruction of Jerusalem and through reflection, deflection, refraction and the fracturing of language, homophonically re-situates the original text to the horrors and hope of […]

~ The Will of the Quill ~

“Thick as the speed of clotted thoughts,
This language suffices;
A cumbersome tool.…”

A poem by Corina Ravenscraft “…about the limits of the written word and language.…”

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

	Jamie Dedes on “Night Mail” by W.…
	Irene aarons on “Night Mail” by W.…
	Jamie Dedes on “Night Mail” by W.…
	anjum wasim dar on “Night Mail” by W.…
	anjum wasim dar on With Twice Found Hope and Tend…

Rate this:

Thank you for sharing your love of words. Comments will appear after moderation.

Like this:

Related

14 Comments

Thank you! Cancel reply