Friday Flower
May. 13th, 2005 07:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ellarienI found this one today; a late prickly-pear flower, glowing like distilled sunlight. It's also crawling with little bugs, but I couldn't resist the colour.
I realized something this afternoon. I've taken hundreds of pictures of cactus flowers this spring; I've seen the gloss on the petals, the delicate veining, the profligate dusting of yellow pollen on the stamens and inner petals. I have no idea what they feel like; I've never reached out a finger to touch a petal, or leaned close to sniff for scent. Sometimes I've brushed too close and picked up spines in my lower legs. As a child, I was familiar enough with the cool smooth softness of rose-petals, the delicate tickle of daisies. When did I stop touching things? Is it some adult inhibition, or just that my hands are full of camera?
I realized something this afternoon. I've taken hundreds of pictures of cactus flowers this spring; I've seen the gloss on the petals, the delicate veining, the profligate dusting of yellow pollen on the stamens and inner petals. I have no idea what they feel like; I've never reached out a finger to touch a petal, or leaned close to sniff for scent. Sometimes I've brushed too close and picked up spines in my lower legs. As a child, I was familiar enough with the cool smooth softness of rose-petals, the delicate tickle of daisies. When did I stop touching things? Is it some adult inhibition, or just that my hands are full of camera?
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