Of flowers and beauty

Chapter One

I walked into a garden somewhere…
Somewhere within the inner recess of my mind.
Within this garden I was accosted by scents and images,
The likes I had never seen before…even in my dreams.

Could it be that what was within me was beyond me?
This was in my mind and likely a conjuration of my desires!
“Now is not the time to deny myself bliss”, I told my self.
What manner of reality this was, it was mine to bask in.

Of scents I was greeted by whiffs of peace and quiet:
Could I have stumbled upon paradise hidden on Earth?
Still of scents, my pores were perforated with bliss,
Calmly seeping into me from the left and right.

I felt my self reinvigorated beyond any known measure.
As easily as I had inhaled these scents into me,
I felt my worries, pains, and sorrows evaporate.
This had to be paradise, even if it was within my mind.

Of images…Oh! What images! A befitting compliment to the scents!
Have you ever feasted on a sumptuous meal and felt complete?
A feeling akin to rapturous love making where two become one,
Destinies one and the same; needs and wants not beyond what each beheld.

I feasted on beauty, feasted on friendship and a glass full of love.
I wined and dined on perfection, manifested in a kaleidoscope of colours.
Though alone, feasting on a magnificent vista of creation,
I had never felt so not alone as every single scent and image was alive.

Chapter Two

What manner of garden did I stumble upon?
A lover of the fine and the delicate, I had always loved flowers.
Now here I was in a garden that had it all: all manner of flowers,
Nose getting scent after scent; eyes feasting on all manner of flowers.

All that had ever meant something to me called to me.
They called to me from within the petals of geraniums and Ivies.
Familiar voices hailed me from a hedge of daises and lilies.
Every where I turned within this maze of bliss, whiffs of home embraced me.

Have you ever been lost yet not want to be found?
Here I was lost in my euphoria, within a maze with hedges like a rainbow.
Here I was wishing I continually went round and round this place of intrigue.
If this was really within my mind, then I would spend an eternity here.

If such a place was to have an owner, what manner of being will it be?
Will such a person be a King? Or will it be a fairy, this being her garden?
But why should the owner be of high station, or one that wields a unique power?
Could it not belong to anyone, even one such as me?

If this place of wonder was to be mine, should I share it with another?
Herein probably lies the dilemma of those who own things of especial worth:
They see these things as an exclusive preserve, only to be coveted by them.
If I was to follow suit, should I be worthy of ownership of such a place?

No!! This was not such a place: It could not belong to one person.
Even if it was, failure to share such a gift with others would be a sin,
One akin to blotting out the sun from all mankind out of greed.
No!! This was a gift I would share with all, loved ones or otherwise.

Chapter Three

Since I commenced this odyssey of perpetual bliss,
One wrapped in fragrances kind to the heart, body and soul,
My legs had not paused neither had my eyes rested.
How could they? The likes of these scents and images I had never seen.

As I waltzed through a paradise that could very likely be mine,
My eyes homed in on the very epitome of simplicity: Angelica!
This was a beauty I knew, its very uniqueness in plain view.
As I gazed upon its features, every moment of positive inspiration hit me.

Guided by Angelica’s essence, I shifted my gaze to the hedge on my right.
Ah! Dahlia! I once met her in a moment of gloom.
Knowingly, sweet Dahlia lovingly helped change my mood.
A gaze upon Dahlia’s petals: a scarce novelty indeed.

It couldn’t be! Daisy? Right by Dahlia’s side! Lucky me!
Oh! I remember how close you were.
Daisy’s innocence and affectionate streak was always endearing.
After all, it was Daisy that helped me find love again.

I hear a whisper! A call hidden within a soft breeze.
A glance over my shoulder…..Goodness gracious! Ivy and Lily?
I couldn’t have missed you two lovelies even if you hadn’t called out.
I will never forget your friendship, Ivy nor Lily’s.

All of a sudden I was hit by myriad fragrances.
These were followed by a collage of all the images I had seen.
A look around me showed that the other flowers were aware too.
It was as if a sentient being was about to grace us with its presence.

Chapter Four

Have you ever stood on a beach and looked upon the coming of a distant wave?
Did you feel the soft caress of the breeze which heralded its arrival?
With open arms did you embrace simplicity even before you saw inherent beauty?
As I stood amongst the flowers I knew I was on the verge of a crowning moment.

I sensed her before I even saw her, a fact attested by the euphoria I felt.
Even in their exceptional states of beauty, Lily and Ivy curtsied before my very eyes.
Angelica wooed her as she made her entrance, not a ruffle from stalk to petal.
Without a doubt, this was a stage made for her and an audience well picked.

She was flanked by other flowers who in their own right were queens any day.
To her right was Sunflower, radiance dazzling, yet a shade darker than hers.
To her left Hazel stood majestically, with a revered look towards the entrant.
With a retinue longer than China’s Great Wall, other acclaimed beauties trailed.

Our first meeting was charted without our mutual consents.
As with all things destined to be, our paths crossed on a day never to be forgotten.
Two total strangers, we found in each other qualities that endeared us to the other.
She was full of life, she was fun to talk to and intelligent: She was beauty itself!

Out of my reverie I heard a call which served to break the spell.
“My name is Rose,” she said, a smile to disarm warring factions on her face.
As I gazed upon her seraphic features, she changed her red garment to pink.
Before my eyes, she adorned garments representing all the rainbow’s colours.

With each colour, she emanated splendour, warmth of heart and sweet poetry.
I felt love, purity, joy, sensuality, patience and affection.
Above all I felt more of inner beauty to that which was there for all to see.
As I reached out to touch her…I awoke in my room, a Rose flower in my hands!