#203: On trees, awe and the delights of foraging
"Leave the roads; take the trails." -Pythagoras
Dearest reader,
Today I write to you from Kasauli, having spent the evening at Gilbert Trail, a misty trail covered by wild dahlias. Every step I took felt like a book cover or album art in the making, and while I’m still tripping from the dream I walked through, I feel compelled to share some of the beauty I experienced with you:
Never have I felt this humbled by Momma Nature. Needless to say, I was laughing and crying, feeling awe and gratitude for this day and this life.
I was reminded of this this quote by Gerard De Nerval on the trail:
"Every flower is a soul blossoming in nature."
On the delights of foraging
I’ve also found a way to hold on this consistent state of awe I’ve been feeling in the mountains: by foraging and documenting my findings!
I’ve been smitten by the gorgeous floral arrangements of Margot Guralnick, Sakshi Mathuria and Ann Kenis, whom I have discovered thanks to the flower lovers page (Hoovu Finds) and newsletter (The Floral Dispatch) I run.
I’ve been inspired and documenting my floral finds through photographs, which I’m going to print and get framed as soon as I get back to Bangalore.
I’ve also been documenting the impressions of leaves by painting and pressing them, and making zines with them. I’m going to paint a wall at the gorgeous homestay I’m staying at tomorrow morning with the same technique. Eeep!
Totally feeling this quote by Sylvia Plath today:
"I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, ‘This is what it is to be happy.'
PoeTree Corner
1. Recovery by A.R Ammons
All afternoon
the tree shadows, accelerating,
lengthened
till
sunset
shot them black into infinity:
next morning
darkness
returned from the other
infinity and the
shadows caught ground
and through the morning, slowing,
hardened into noon.
2. Whenever you see a tree by Padma Venkatraman
3. Tree by Jane Hirshfield
It is foolish
to let a young redwood
grow next to a house.
Even in this
one lifetime,
you will have to choose.
That great calm being,
this clutter of soup pots and books—
Already the first branch-tips brush at the window.
Softly, calmly, immensity taps at your life.
4. The Morning on the Mountains by June Jordan
The morning on the mountains where the mist
diffuses
down into the depths of the leaves
of the ash and oak trees
trickling toward the complexion of the whole lake
cold
even though the overlooking sky
so solemnly vermilion
sub-divides/the
seething stripes as soft
as sweet as the opening
of your mouth
Recommended Listening
Parekh & Singh’s new album The Night Is Clear is out. I fell in love with the song Songbird so much, I made a tiny music video for it. ^
Pareidolia Catalog - homeshake
The Water - Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling (“So wide is my river/The horizon a sliver/The artist has run out of paint”)
The Last Roses - Mary Lattimore
Jan Lisiecki plays Chopin's Nocturne in C-sharp minor (+Read his interview in The Talks)
My new favorite Instagram page: @photobook1day
I LOVE the curation, concept and everything about the Instagram page @photobook1day, which is all about photobooks and zines. Mmmmm. A few posts I really enjoyed:
Workshop Alert: Jaipur
I’m doing a Poetry + Zine making workshop in Jaipur this Saturday!
I’m collaborating with Roastery Coffee to bring you an immersive Poetry writing + Zine making workshop at their cafe this Saturday,10th September, 4pm to 7pm.
Can’t wait to meet all the lovely poets and artists in Jaipur. Registrations are open! Please DM @roasterycoffeehouseindia to sign up.
Sending you a bouquet of wild dahlias in this newsletter. 💐
Love and light,
Rohini
It is a delight to read your shares.
Those three photos to open are GORGEOUS. Thank you.