When stone is carved into the shape of water, it becomes soft, flowing and smooth. Cedar wood blooms into flowers, the petals trembling in tempo with the wind. Accents of cobalt frame these delicate carvings as Arabic poetry curls like branches of the Mediterranean pine...
The highest level of beauty resembles a garden.
With all of the riches and worldly power,
there remains a wish to return
to the lime trees,
to the roses.
***
The Nasrid palace took my breath away. Walking among the arches and intricacies, there was hardly a hard edge. Fountains in every room, light poured in through many windows. It felt like a garden inside and so the actual garden felt like…IDK! There are no words.
I came here by myself to get lost in thought.
A riled-up squirrel chatters in a tree. Morning glories shine iridescent. There are flowers of every color, budding fig trees and towering shrubs.
I feel grateful for the environment that inspires such peace and sensitivity.
On a larger scope
Something happens to the soul when surrounded by nature and beauty, that’s not news. I listened recently to an interview with Irish poet John O’ Donohue on the importance of beauty.
Here’s an interesting quote,
"An awful lot of urban planning, particularly in poor areas, has doubly impoverished the poor by the ugliness which surrounds them. And it's understandable that it is so difficult to reach and sustain gentleness there."
Smart urban planning, creating green cities and providing natural beauty for all people, not just the kings and queens…I feel strongly that this is important for the everyday health of our world.
At a hostel in Granada I made a friend from Australia and we discussed this topic at dinner. She shared the project, “Unequal Scenes” by photographer Johny Miller.
The theme of this digression is something like this: Nature shouldn’t be a luxury item and neither should human dignity.