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“I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained.”—Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi (1017-1073)
I read the lotus,
petal after petal.
Floral words
tender, fragrant yet gritty*
unfold.
Born in mud
yet all life unstained.
No wonder our seers of yore
held you in their core
to turn you into seat of gods
transforming themselves
into lotus-souls
to be adored.
Aren’t there any lotus people
living in this mud of earth
anymore?
*An individual lotus can live for over a thousand years and has the rare ability to revive into activity after stasis. In 1994, a seed from a sacred lotus, dated at roughly 1,300 years old ± 270 years, was successfully germinated. Wikipedia
Posted for Sanaa’s Prompt Nights – We tend to smile in the exact same language – [27] @ A Dash Of Sunny
&
Shared with Poetry Pantry @ Poets United
sumanar/lekha 
This is very interesting Sumana! Wonder if the same thing can happen if scientists were to stumble upon a dinosaur’s egg!
Hank
🙂
I had no idea that was true about the lotus flower. Your note gives your poem so much extra meaning!
Oh I do love the metaphor of beauty grown from mud…
WOW! Your words of adoration are well earned by this wondrous bloom XXX
Most of the weeds in my garden seem to have similar attributes….
Whistles!!! ❤❤ This is absolutely splendid writing, Sumana 😀 especially love the reference to ‘No wonder our seers of yore held you in their core to turn you into seat of gods transforming themselves into lotus-souls to be adored.’ Beautifully executed. Thank you so much for participating at Prompt Nights and for your constant love and support ❤❤
Lots of love,
Sanaa
Just plastic lotuses left now.. love the way you have envisaged this poem Sumana.
I think perhaps you maybe a lotus – tender, fragrant, gritty – seems like a definition of strength, courage and beauty..of which your words and character seem to convey
Curiously my mind bent in another direction and noting the resilience of the lotus and comparing it to the present weakening of mankind becoming unfit without artificial help. Currently feeling like a session in statis myself!
Hi Sumana, what a beautiful new blog! I didn’t know that a lotus blooms from mud ~ what a wonderful metaphor for overcoming obstacles and one’s past in life. Love the poem 🙂
Thanks Loredana 🙂
Really an interesting concept! I do like the idea of ‘lotus souls.’
Such a fascinating, legendary bloom!
I yearn, too, my friend. Thank you for the image “lotus smile.”
The lotus-souls are praying fervently. They are just drowned out by all the warring people. That is amazing that ancient lotus seeds can be germinated.
Somewhere, O somewhere, there must be a lotus person or two!
Beautiful thoughts of the lotus!
My mother-in-law used to constantly question if there were any living saints. She thought not. I used to contradict her saying we just had to seek them out, they were all around us. Your beautiful poem first made me doubt my hope. But, then your post script about the lotus’s longevity and ability to germinate, made me hope again.
Beautiful poem Sumana. Thank you.
Such a good and for me, spiritual write here, I certainly enjoyed it and now I shall take it in again.
Awesome! …and no, I didn’t know that about the Lotus, that’s incredible!
ZQ
Wonderful and pretty amazing!
I also really like the idea of lotus souls, born from mud, but spending life giving beauty,
Elizabeth
https://soulsmusic.wordpress.com/2016/09/04/sometimes-cinderella/
Profound and layered. Beautiful and spiritual. A wonderful – dare I say the word – analogy. Smiles.
nice!
the lotus is a symbol of strength and grace, as what i can gathered from your poem . 🙂
There is a kind of immortality in that lotus seed. Fascinating concept.
Lovely!
Your footnote info makes your last line shine.
Your lotus smile is gracefully layered! And fascinating is the postscript at the end.