GERANIUMS

There is rain on the window pane, and bleakness beyond: the closing in of early winter, with more closing in to come. It is not yet the festive season.

But the geraniums are heralds of change. Leaves may turn brown. Petals may be shed. But the insistent continuity of these flowers is a bright blessing in a grey moment, a vivid affirmation of the life force itself.

Contemplating these geraniums marks for me a distinctive point in the wheel of time, and the timeless Now that holds it.