Column-07/2018
We get an early start – there is free admission before 10.00a, this time of year (April), at the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Gardens in SE Portland near Reed College. The nearly 10 acre bucolic gardens/woodlands features a riot of Rhododendron and Azaleas (members of the same genus or the same class of flowering flora) as well as a variety of trees, plants, birds, and water fowl.
We idle our way along pathways – on these pathways, through Crystal Springs Gardens, we likewise encounter a setting of small waterways, two quaint bridges, petite waterfalls, and idyllic little meadows.
As typical of the Northwest, Portland receives abundant rain, which supports an abundance of outdoor areas. Portland offers over 140 parks within its nearly 12,000 protected acres of parklands and nature zones.
+++++
Below is one, of two, recent poems inspired by time spent at Crystal Springs Gardens:
– e –
to begin with, you are alone when walking by the aromatic saturation of cultivated grounds .. this is a self-selected activity .. you experience the rich soil & it’s wet botanic fragrances ..
near the other soaked commons, you quicken your walk but there are supplemental opaque infusions to contend with ..
it is solely the solitary you, the solitary humidity, & the dripping aromas .. you acknowledge, as well, the incrementation of a dense sun ..
freshly turned earth & newly made pools of green water; this has a familiar quality .. and you imbibe all of this with a stout independent conviction ..
(o u t l i e r ■ poems 2015-2017 ■ © 2018)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
O U T L I E R 