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Dancing With the Black Madonna's avatar

Even here in Manhattan, a place not known for its patient waiting, as I slip into Central Park on a snowy evening, time, or our strange, current idea of it, falls away, and an older and paradoxically more present (“modern?”) world reasserts its vitality.

Sally's avatar

This is so beautiful, and yes, the trees, river, mountains do speak to our old bones if you let them.

Kate Case's avatar

Such evocative writing Charlotte.

As someone who was born in Wales but who grew up and lives in Australia, I find myself yearning for the experience of deep time in the places where my ancestors are from. This yearning has grown stronger in recent years as I move through my 60s. Not sure if I’ll get a chance to go back to the old country - but I do dream of it

Kathleen Basheera Ritchie's avatar

Thank you!

I am enjoying 52 Plants so much! It's everything I hoped for and probably I'm your ideal reader. I'm just starting my journey with plants. I've experienced just enough of the same kind of thing that you write about that I'm starving for more -- especially in this winter season.

And there are so few people to discuss it all with. So I read voraciously to fill that hole. Again, thank you for providing me with these accounts of your journey!

(I Lean Liminal)

Darkhorse's avatar

My husband is a luthier and tells me that boxwood was often used to make flutes, due to its hardness and its resonant qualities. i like the idea that one can breathe through a boxwood flute, creating music, giving it a voice, just as the wind can breathe through the branches of the box tree, giving it a different, wilder voice and its own music.

Abbey von Gohren's avatar

The wait. I know it well. This is gorgeous, thank you.

The part about Greece operating on its own time made me chuckle because 25 years ago I almost missed a ferry and had to sob my way on so I wouldn’t get left behind on the island apart from my friends. It turns out I was too slow even for the Greeks. Ah well.

Philip Harris's avatar

Thank you for such a gift this midwinter. We have a few box trees in this garden and house that fed many for long years. That have grown tall over decades.