Maybe not the fall poem you had in mind but very apropos of recent events. From Robinson Jeffers: Fire On The Hills The deer were bounding like blown leaves Under the smoke in front the roaring wave of the brush-fire; I thought of the smaller lives that were caught. Beauty is not always lovely; the fire was beautiful, the terror Of the deer was beautiful; and when I returned Down the back slopes after the fire had gone by, an eagle Was perched on the jag of a burnt pine, Insolent and gorged, cloaked in the folded storms of his shoulders He had come from far off for the good hunting With fire for his beater to drive the game; the sky was merciless Blue, and the hills merciless black, The sombre-feathered great bird sleepily merciless between them. I thought, painfully, but the whole mind, The destruction that brings an eagle from heaven is better than men. And it took some searching, but I found a poem by Charles Bukowski ("Poet Laureate of Skid Row") fit for general consumption: Rain by Charles Bukowski a symphony orchestra. there is a thunderstorm, they are playing a Wagner overture and the people leave their seats under the trees and run inside to the pavilion the women giggling, the men pretending calm, wet cigarettes being thrown away, Wagner plays on, and then they are all under the pavilion. the birds even come in from the trees and enter the pavilion and then it is the Hungarian Rhapsody #2 by Lizst, and it still rains, but look, one man sits alone in the rain listening. the audience notices him. they turn and look. the orchestra goes about its business. the man sits in the night in the rain, listening. there is something wrong with him, isn't there? he came to hear the music. And if you're ever in San Francisco, you must visit City Lights bookstore. Here is a link that might be useful: City Lights

"And all the air is filled with pleasant noise of waters" "Resolution and Independence", Henry Wordsworth "In sweet water there is a pleasure ungrudged by anyone." Ovid, 13 A.D. "If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water." Loran Eisley (Anthropologist), The Immense Journey, 1957 In one drop of water are found all the secrets of all the oceans. -- Kahlil Gibran The dream of my life is to lie down by a slow river and stare at the light in the trees ~ to learn something by being nothing -- Mary Oliver, from "Entering the Kingdom" And if the earth has forgotten you Say to the still earth: I am flowing. To the rushing waters say: I am. --Rilke, from Sonnets to Orpheus Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your headwith silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. - Langston Hughes, April Rain Song, 1902 - 1967 Everywhere water is a thing of beauty gleaming in the dewdrop, singing in the summer rain. - John Ballantine Gough I came where the river Ran over stones; My ears knew An early joy. And all the waters Of all the streams Sang in my veins That summer day. - Theodore Roethke, The Waking, 1948 When you hear the splash Of the water drops that fall Into the stone bowl You will feel that all the dust Of your mind is washed away. - Sen-No-Rikyu The sound of the water says what I think. - Chuang Tzu "I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain; What a wonderful feeling, I'm happy again." Arthur Freed This is fun. I love the idea. What do you think of these?

Well I'm NOT a blue person. Indoors I have NO blue. My husband doesn't understand this. I have no idea why I feel this way. Outdoors things are different! I have a blue/yellow/white garden bed which I love. Yes, delphineums, catananche, campanulas, baptisia and more, are mixed with trollius, coreopsis moonbeam, peony Claire de Lune and low growing white clematis and aquilegia. It is a big mix and wouldn't be any fun at all without the blue! There are loads of clematis that are purple or blue/purple, but also some very nice blues I think. You do get into the question of "what is blue?" My husband and I think this could well be a male/female issue! Also, by saying a flower is blue, perhaps a catalogue gains more sales? * Posted by: coolbeans (My Page) on Sat, Feb 2, 02 at 13:12 This is my VERY favorite thread, and I totally agree with all those who feel that there is just "something" about blue flowers; they ARE magical, they ARE very special; and they make me happier than any other color flower. Don't know why...I just started a flat full of Bluebird delphinium seeds I saved from my one lonely plant last year. A bunch of them germinated, so now I can't wait to have a huge stand of them! Maybe they won't bloom this year, but maybe they will. And also "true blue" penstemons, I'm trying for the first time. I can't get enough of this precious color. * Posted by: Anne_Marie_Alb (My Page) on Tue, Feb 5, 02 at 17:47 WOW....... Did anyone realize that this thread started almost 5 years ago... on Feb. 15, 1997!!!!! I am amazed it has survived that long. Probably, the oldest thread still on the top page! I wonder if "Clare B" (who started the thread) is still an active member of the Garden Web!!! I personally love blue flowers (I mean blue, and not purple, which I also like). I can't believe how many blue flowers I am starting from seeds this year... and that was just a pure coincidence! I also love RED flowers.. Maybe, I should start a "red flower" thread! I will first check the archives! * Posted by: Clare (My Page) on Thu, Feb 7, 02 at 20:34 Yes, Ann_Marie, I am still here! I will be a bit sad to see this thread fade away when it hits the 100 posts mark. After that, the threads are closed. I don't think I have any true blue flowers still. "Victoria Blue" Salvia is the closest thing. I use it a lot. It is such a heavy, long bloomer, and about one in twenty of them will survive winter here. Just wish I could predict which would survive so that I could save seed from those alone and perhaps work up a more hardy strain. By the way, the Hydrangeas in Memphis, Tennessee are incredible. Some are so saturated blue that I'd have to call them navy. * Posted by: Dswan (My Page) on Sat, Feb 9, 02 at 22:37 I'm going to add to this extremely long thread only because there really is something to true blue. I grow from seed a very difficult plant to propagate called Penstemon cyananthus or Wasatch Penstemon. I cold stratify and plant these every year in hopes of gettting one or two in my garden every year. Absolutely gorgeous. * Posted by: Rosa (My Page) on Mon, Mar 11, 02 at 10:24 Did no one mention Gentians-now those are blue! (along with my favorite penstemson of course-some are indeed blue). * Posted by: pineshade7b ) on Mon, Apr 15, 02 at 11:02 i agree with gloria mc coy. i love blue and green , they are my favorite colors in anything. just look in my house and closets. blue..ocean, blue jeans, my own eyes are blue and my husband's are green. many reasons to answer -why blue. although i do not "hyperventilate" , if i should go into a nursery and ask for a blue -flowering plant and the staff looks down their nose at me, i'll know now that they are only doing it because they think I'M a snob. until i adopted gardening as a serious hobby i had no idea that blue was a "snob" color. i just naturally began to look into flowers in the colors i liked personally. you learn something new everyday. i would have been hurt and confused to walk into a nursery and be looked at like a pariah, what did i say? now i know, thanks clare. * Posted by: DesertGardner (My Page) on Fri, Apr 19, 02 at 12:38 Wow - I never knew there was such a controversy over the color blue in the garden. After reading all the posts, I now understand why some gardeners prefer the color. And I have to say that I've never met any gardeners whom I would consider snobbish. Most of them are really quite down to earth! (if you pardon the expression...) I recently tried planting a red, white and blue flower bed, with 'Victoria Blue' Salvia being my blue color. It's a little too purple and doesn't look right as a "patriotic" design. I will probably tear out the red and white and keep the "blue" (purple) since it seems to like this desert heat. Someone mentioned black flowers, and I remembered seeing black pansies in the most recent Burpee catalog. They're a beautiful velvety black with a spot of yellow in the center. I think I'll plant some this winter, and start an obsession with black flowers! (just kidding Clare...) -Kara [* Posted by: yeona_sky (My Page) on Mon, Jun 24, 02 at 0:37 I just bought a blue poppy and am nervously watching its progress. My success with blues has been an up hill battle, but that hasn't changed my desire to spotlight it in my garden. Why blue?, again it's a passion with me. Clare, I hope you get the last word on this thread, and I hope you understand Why blue, a little better. * Posted by: Duster (My Page) on Wed, Jun 26, 02 at 23:56 I agree with the many others about getting annoyed when purple is referred to as blue. Maybe that's why I take up the cause of truly blue flowers! 99% of my Delphiniums are the true electric blue ones. I'd love one of the Himalayan Poppies but just not right for my little yard. I like the blue flowers, rather than the blue foliage plants. And no, blue is NOT my favorite color - I have nothing blue in my home decor. I just like the uniqueness of the TRUE blue and my stubbornness to get people to stop calling it purple!!!!

Cece, yes, I've thought that the story needs opening up and writing. But I think the poem was written in around the 1890s. So what were they doing, in Victorian times, meeting in presumably a private room if not a bedroom, at an inn, when 'never the lovelight shone between us two' etc.? I agree, it might make a fascinating tale. Annpan, I never learned it - I just had to teach Hardy's poetry for A-level (18 year-olds) and poems stick with me. I used to be able to recite reams more than I can now. But you may have hit on something: a sequence of his poems was written after the death of his first wife, called 'Veteris Vestigia Flammae' where his memories of their early years together, particularly their courtship, haunt him despairingly - though they had been almost estranged for a long time in later years. My ex-husband died about 18 months ago and it was a great shock to everyone - not expected at all. He and I remained very good friends, so I was very cut up about it. I go to visit his grave every so often, and I always recite one of those poems of Hardy as I stand there - 'Things were not lastly as firstly well between us twain, you tell? 'But all's past now, despite Time's derision.' ........................... It ends: '....... I mind not, thought life lours. 'The bringing me here - nay, bring me here again - For I am just the same 'As when our days were a joy and our paths through flowers.' Could be all tied up, I suppose. I've tried reciting it out loud; and I've tried reciting other poems. And yes, it's very like having a tune that you can't get out of your head. Mary, I think the Hopkins you mention is another that has haunting potential. I've found myself reciting it sometimes, for no reason....It's beautiful. Thanks, all, so much for joining in and making suggestions. It's still waking me at nights..... Dido