The Uncommon Perfection of a Common Water Lily

“To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour.” ~ William Blake, 1757 – 1827, English Poet

Hmmm, how often do we overlook splendour because it comes in common form?

My weekend ramblings in the woods, meadows and marshes are generally in pursuit of what I refer to as nature’s winged wonders. There is something about creatures gifted with flight that inspires endless fascination for me.

But occasionally my attention is pulled away by other forms of nature’s artistry. The Fragrant Water Lily at the head of this post is quite common. I see it frequently and take it for granted. But last Saturday, as I waited for the day to warm up enough to coax butterflies into flight, I pointed my camera at this specimen.

Only later, while surfing through my day’s photos, did the simple perfection of it strike me. Upon closer study, I have come to admire its many graces.

The pure white, seashell shaped petals tightly clustered like a chorus of hands cupped in supplication or perhaps in praise.

The butter yellow stamens striving skyward in a motionless dance of reverence.

The waxy, fan-shaped leaves of the adjacent lily pads surrounding the Lily as if guarding it from threats unseen.

The water beads suspended on the lily pads, in intricate patterns of large and small, each a world unto itself.

The blue-black, impossibly placid water supporting and sustaining the Lily as it responds to the warmth of day.

All in all, a simple collaboration of earthy colour and rounded form, morning light and subtle shade, still life and the promise of abundant life below. A moment-in-time metaphor for the simple graces of nature we too often take for granted, too seldom give their due and too often harm with our neglect.

A Fragrant Water Lily – common, yes, but uncommon in its simple, graceful perfection. Heaven personified in a wildflower. Infinity that nestles in the palm of your hand.

~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog .

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