Swiss chard sprouts
Seeing comes before words. But Annie Dillard is right to claim that words preserve the image of what we have seen.
It is the words- the story they weave- that turns a token into a treasure. Unlike the commonness and plenitude of the token, the treasure is unique and captivating enough to warrant a hiding place. We bury it carefully in a special place, devoting countless hours to creating the map that divines how we get there, ensuring that we are the only ones who will ever get there.
How blackberry fruits come to fruition
The story of our love and hope is the treasure map. As with any such map, the amount of time and passion spent in creating it reveals the value of what lies beneath the ineffable.
So I find myself staring at the tiny swiss chard sprouts, made crazy with joy at the scent of tomato stalks on my fingertips, looking for words to map the daily comings and growings of our garden. Only the call of the mourning dove comes to mind.
