Almost Paradise
Old Heraclitus was right. “πάντα χωρεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει” Every thing changes and nothing remains.
I found a cicada exoskeleton attached under a leaf while examining my garden. Cicadas have been featured in literature since Homers Illiad. They are short lived. They sing loudly in chorus from the trees, a undulating cacophony, the song of late summer.
The cicadas were in full song as I walked the banks of Kraklauer Creek a few days ago. The water filled creek 
flowed inexorably past the hewn stones, always and 
inevitably toward the great Mississippi, and then to the Gulf of Mexico. Everything is always in motion. The world is transient and I the observer, am part of this world.
A swath of Queen Annes Lace illuminated by 
sunlight, shimmered by the curved bank — as if the train of a wedding gown. I noticed a slight sweet aroma around the blossom heads. A variety of insects busily worked the tiny florets seeking nectar. I felt kinship with them.
Wild sunflowers are the most prominent flowers here in late summer. Two fading Black-eyed Susans caught my attention. They are biennial which means that they live for two years. These were past their prime, still displaying a simple majesty of color and form. Having fulfilled their destiny, they will fade with the summer.
Yes, all of this beauty and meaning is temporary. It’s transient,–almost paradise. This is the way of things, not just of life, of all things. The beauty fades, and one can only bow in contemplation and celebrate the wordless dignity of this great world.
One thought on “Almost Paradise”
Beautiful pictures! Your post reminded me that Beauty is all around me every day, but in the often busy rush of my day I forget to stop for a little while to look around and enjoy it. Thanks for the reminder.