Botanical Poetry
Concept, text and illustration by Vita Kiewiet de Jonge (2020)
Audio by Ruth van de Putte and played by members of het Residentie Orkest Den Haag (2020)
A gentle nudge. That’s usually what it starts with, if you ask me. Sometimes I don’t even notice it at first. It’s like a tingle, one of those that starts in your feet and travels all the way up to the top. I often find myself trying to explain it to the other flowers in the meadow. Maybe I am different from the rest, or perhaps they simply need to do things at their own pace.
“But you have still not explained to me how you start growing”, the poppy said. “I keep watching you, to see if there is a signal of some sort”. “Well,” said the daffodil, “I have tried to put it into words to explain it to you. Often it feels scary to grow on your own. Sometimes I am not even sure if I can. I do not know if there is one way to do it, or if there are a million other ways.”
The poppy fell silent. She had always admired the sheer enthusiasm with which the daffodil appeared. It had caused her to doubt herself in ways she had never done before. “But, you even manage to arrive when the ground is still cold. How do you do it?”
Carefully choosing her words, the daffodil finally replied, “For me, knowing that I will not be alone for long makes me want to grow. Every year, when days are still dark, I feel spring in my veins, sense brighter days ahead and rejoice in the knowledge that all the other flowers will join me soon.”
“That has to be the most beautiful thing I have ever heard. You are a poet, daffodil.” The daffodil chuckled. “No, silly, I am not a poet. Every year I try my hardest to take in as much positivity and sunlight as I can. Then, come spring, I do my best to remember and that is when the tingle starts. Before I know it, I am above ground, waiting for all of you to do the same.”
Together, they stood in silence for a while. The birds chirped and a faint ray of sunshine started to warm the ground once more. The poppy felt a gentle nudge, a tingle and thought: life is not so bad, all it needs is a bit of trust.