Morning Open Thread is a daily post from a host of editors and guest writers. We support our community, invite and share ideas, and encourage thoughtful, respectful dialogue in an open forum.
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White Phalaenopsis
The heat, even for south Louisiana, has been nothing short of incredible this summer. Apparently a record high was set in Audubon Park yesterday and we are experiencing heat indices in the 102-106 range with some frequency.
My biggest complaint, however, is that my flowers are suffering; I don't have that many, but the ones I have are a source of joy to me. My Phalaenopsis, which had been doing beautifully this year (after dropping a bud in May), is suffering despite its tropical nature. This past weekend it lost a bloom—and I wouldn't have expected that for months now. It wasn't spent, mind you: just sort of tired.
I hide myself within my flower,
That wearing on your breast,
You, unsuspecting, wear me too—
And angels know the rest.
I hide myself within my flower,
That, fading from your vase,
You, unsuspecting, feel for me
Almost a loneliness.
-Emily Dickinson
This morning it is almost cool, with a slight breeze that carries with it the promise of rain later in the day. But today's poem was chosen not as a portent of better times but out of a slight frustration—or as a tool, perhaps, to help me understand the apparent rage going on in this cyberspace we call the internet, even here on this very site. Natural allies take up arms against each other, words are abused and tortured until they can hold no meaning, and shifting fronts leave the unsuspecting feeling vulnerable.
These times—when the heat seems unbearable and blooms begin to wither—are the times we should remember that all of us, to a certain degree, hide within our own flowers. Like friends arguing over which Woody Allen movie is his best, we should do so with understanding and respect and no modicum of joy. Ms. Dickinson, I find, is so often right about affairs of the heart. There are flowers, once held so close but now faded, that we will long for in some small way. Let's spend some time tending our community garden.
Now, on to some music harping on these Dog Days of Summer.
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Grab your coffee or tea and join us, please.
What's on your mind this morning?