"Every house where love abides
And friendship is a guest,
Is surely home, and home sweet home
For there the heart can rest."
~ Henry Van Dyke

Friday, July 29, 2011

Dahlia, dear dahlia


Dahlia, dear dahlia, with colors so bright,
You brighten my garden with all your delight.

There you are strong standing tall on your stem,
Among the other flowers, you are the gem.

Yellow, peach, white, pink and red,
Your colors enrich the garden bed.

As your flowers fade and petals scatter on the ground,
I lock your memory away in my heart to be found.

- Heidi Kuijer

From the Victorian language of flowers, a dahlia means elegance and dignity. I am thrilled that the dahlias I planted both in my front and back garden are flourishing almost to the point where I think the other flowers would accuse them of showing off. They make me smile each morning when I open the bedroom curtains and brighten my day as I look out from my living room window. I do love dahlias!

Have a wonderful weekend my blogging friends!

11 comments:

Nancy said...

Hey, I am impressed with your poem. You should publish it. Maybe you can be famous as a poet.
The flower is very pretty. Have a fun weekend at the cottage while I go get a cast on my broken ankle.
Love you, Mom

Susan in SC said...

Great poem Heidi! You have a great weekend too!

Willy said...

Ik hou er ook van en dat al jaren. Als kind hadden we ze in de tuin, zelf heb ik ze helaas niet. Dus fijn dat ik ze hier even zie.
Fijn weekend, groetjes

Ginny said...

Your poem is as lovely as your dahlia. I think I planted some this year, but no blooms yet. It's been a tough summer as we are not getting rain. For July, we've had only .57 inches, and it is hot. I'm amazed any of my flowers are still alive.

Littlebit said...

Heidi, I adore dahlias! Next year...:)

angelasweby said...

Oh I love dahlias. They are such an eye catching addition to any garden. I especially love the wonderful childhood memories they bring back as my mother adored them both big and small and our garden was full of them every year. What a lovely poem singing their praises :-)
Angela xx

Jenny said...

Oh Heidi,
You have revealed yet another one of your talents....poetry! I love your poem and the beautiful dahlia. I can understand why those flowers would make you smile every morning. When I read your poem it also brought to mind the giant dahlia quilt pattern. I have always loved that pattern and it has always made me smile too. Hope you have a wonderful weekend at the cottage. Hugs from CA.

Annie said...

I like a lot dahlias particularly those we name, in French, "dahlias pompon".

Susan McShannon-Monteith said...

They are beautiful flowers some here the size of dinner plates...
And the words you have written are worthy of such beauty.
Thank you so much for your visit.
Susan

Anonymous said...

Lovely poem Heidi. What a gorgeous colour this flower has ~ it really is a delight!

Marie x

Vicki said...

My Dutch grandfather in Los Angeles, California USA when his daughter was a baby, 1920s-era, was an untrained but enthusiastic gardener. The baby is now an old woman, and she likes to remember his vast but modest garden, full of dahlias. I wonder now that perhaps he planted them to remember his homeland from when he was a small boy.

I am making wonderful discoveries on your blog. How I long to visit Holland and walk where my ancestors lived and worked. Thank you for your interesting posts and beautiful photos.