Blooming initiatives help unify us
“It was a leaping tongue of bloom that the scythe had spared, beside a reedy brook that the scythe had bared.” - Robert Frost, "Tuft of Flowers"
In Frost’s poem, a person mowing grass is united with another mower even though their paths don’t physically cross. Appreciation of a tall tuft of flowers spared by the first mower and noticed by the second brings the two together. Though the poem starts out on a wistful note of separation, it ends with positive unity brought about by the beauty of the flowers: “Men work together, I told him from my heart, whether they work together or apart.”
The public and private gardens of Lewes attracted attention recently as the Lewes In Bloom organization rallied to impress judges from America In Bloom. A many-time winner of national recognition by America In Bloom, Lewes In Bloom this year set out to win the Community Champion Award and the Achievement Award in Historic Preservation. Winning would place Lewes among a select few towns and cities in the United States garnering these honors.
Such distinction brings the pride of accomplishment for all involved, and the pleasure, for residents and visitors, of colorful gardens that adorn the outdoor landscape. The economic benefit is a nice side dish. But the gardens also do something more deeply important.
As the simple and profound beauty of a tuft of flowers brought together two individuals in Frost’s poem, the gardens for which Lewes In Bloom seeks these special awards bring whole communities together. The 130 members of Lewes In Bloom who take up shovels and trowels and dig their fingers into fertile soil enjoy the satisfaction and unity of working together and accomplishing.
The gardens of the public parks and private properties, and Lewes In Bloom’s flowering planters up and down the streets, also unify the attention of the thousands of people who wander among them and share an appreciation for their beauty. In a world often focused on separation and conflict, the unity and cooperation embodied in initiatives like those of Lewes In Bloom offer welcome breaths of fresh air.
