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“With the exercise of a little care, the nettle could be made useful; it is neglected and it becomes hurtful. It is exterminated. How many men resemble the nettle!" He added with a pause: "Remember this, my friends: there are no such things as bad plants or bad men. There are only bad cultivators.”
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
― Victor Hugo, Les Misérables
Wikipedia: "A dandelion . . . is a well-known example of a plant that is considered a weed in some contexts (such as lawns) but not a weed in others (such as when it is used as a leaf vegetable or herbal medicine). |
Midweek Motif ~
Weeds/Weediness
Challenge: Must we rid ourselves of weeds? What if we don't? What if weeds and valued plants reversed themselves in our gardens? In what areas are we weedy or tolerant of weediness?
"What would the world be, once bereft,
of wet and wildness? Let them be left.
O let them be left; wildness and wet;
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet."
-- Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem Inversnaid
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(Next week Susan's Midweek Motif will be Sustainability.)
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Ah, weeds are relentless this time of year! Happy writing, everyone. Thanks, Susan.
ReplyDeleteNature keeps us on our toes (in amazement). I celebrate weeds except when I have to pull them :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the prompt Susan....I hope my weed poem fits well here today...
ReplyDeleteI love the mix of quotes this week - i think we opted for a weed we will keep for a while yet anyway - thank you!
ReplyDeleteHey! Happy to see you! I'm coming there right now!
DeleteExcellent, excellent, Mary, Moonie, Sumana! You, too, Old Egg. Now to put some final tweaks to my poem before bringing it here.
ReplyDeleteFinally! Coffee intervened.
DeleteHey everyone :D
ReplyDeleteWooo hooo its mid-week motif once again! How the week passed by so fast! Hope you all like my poem :D Thank you Susan for this wonderful prompt!
Lots of love,
Sanaa
You are very welcome, Sanaa. This week went slowly for me, but your comment perked me up!
DeleteGreat topic, Susan. I LOVE weeds :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Nicholas. After reading your poem, I would think it the greatest compliment to be called weed.
DeleteSusan,
ReplyDeleteA bouquet of floral observation. Not a weed in sight!
Eileen
Thanks again Susan, for an inspiring prompt. Hope you have a great week.
ReplyDeleteYou, too, Myrna.
DeleteI like the idea of weediness, metaphorically — but taking it literally, I'm not so sure. (And one metaphorical way is a REALLY vexed question, if taken to logical conclusions my poem barely suggests!)
ReplyDeleteYes. If my body still allowed me to pull weeds, I wonder whether I would have contemplated this at all? I might, considering how often--still--people try to weed me! As if I was still a child to be trained . . . But I am trying to change ingrained racisms and white superiority. I think we have to re-consider what is and is not a weed.
DeleteSusan, I love the inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI just saw your poem on Facebook! Lovely. Your view of childhood is magical to me, especially given your experiences recently shared on facebook as well!
DeleteLink trouble this week...there is a new weeds poem not just an old waves one - honestly! Looking forward to getting round and visiting you all later...
ReplyDeleteI can't help leaving them both, I love them both! Maybe in another day I'll develop the will to remove the error. Rest easy. Clairy. We love that you are here!
DeleteAwww *blushes*I love being here!
DeleteWeeds are like human outcasts useful, strong, overlooked, they get ripped out from the roots but the persevere they may not be the prettiest or smell the nicest, but when I have an ailment I want a weed not a flower.
ReplyDeleteMe too, but I call them herbs ... oh, you mean THAT weed!
DeleteThat's all for this week folks! See you in the pantry tomorrow. Next week our theme is sustainability, whatever that is!
ReplyDelete