Sunday, May 26, 2013

Late-Blooming Azaleas

After heavy rain showers many days last week,
the skies finally cleared yesterday and the sun shone.
And without the dark mist of pounding rain, 
the cheery pink azalea blossoms in our woods were visible.

shows azaleas the same color as ours, 
but theirs are much larger and more lush than out little shrubs.
I would say they are what ours aspire to be:

Even though our azaleas aren't show stoppers,
their late blooming always take me by surprise--
partly because I think of azaleas as denizens of April, not late May.
And partly it is because I just forget they are back there
since they blend into the undergrowth so well when not in bloom.
We don't feed them or water them as we probably should.
But if they weren't so neglected, 
I like to imagine that they could one day look like this fantasy photo: 


Regardless of our azalea's more subtle show,
 they do present a lovely counterpoint to the trees.
And yesterday I was reminded that, as flowers do,
these candy pink azaleas lighten the heart.
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