Lotus
18July 14, 2019 by petrujviljoen
The oldest of the flowering plants. A living fossil. The lotus survived the ice age, predating humanity by many thousands of years. Much is made of the mud it lives in. Much is made of its unblemished emergence. For some a daily process. Little water, deep water as long as there’s both mud and water. much is made of the holiness of the flower. the flower alone.
It’s true for anything else that grows. Everything is rooted in soil (dirt). The earth. The unknown underground or under water. Allusions to Hades surely. Allusions to the unconscious. to night. all of it is life.
The Egyptian blue – psychedelic qualities … sacred? Weed anyone?
It’s clear: the mud doesn’t need the lotus. The lotus needs the mud. consciousness doesn’t need thought. Thought needs consciousness.
Everything about the lotus plant is edible and its green leaves useful to produce fibre.
all is sacred –
the mud, the roots, the leaves,
least the lotus
………..
Linked to Frank J Tassone Haikai Challenge
petrujviljoen 
This is wonderful. Thank you.
Glad you liked it. Had to be rebellious.
“It’s clear: the mud doesn’t need the lotus. The lotus needs the mud. consciousness doesn’t need thought. Thought needs consciousness.”
The depths of this is amazing and fascinating.
Thanks Barry.
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I watched a show about Egyptian blue lilies that are extinct today.
It was interesting that only the royalty used the plant expecting much, giving little…
While the lotus is different, I’ve never heard of blue lotus, I could from your words imagine the blue flower… I went looking – at it is quite beautiful.
There were both white and orange flowers from the lily pads on the lake…
I’ve no idea why but felt it necessary to critique the elevation of the lotus above any other plant.
Reblogged this on Frank J. Tassone and commented:
#Haiku Happenings #3: Petru’s latest #haibun for my prior #haikai challenge!
Thanks for accepting it late.
My pleasure 😇
I love your speculation. I’m betting the lotus reproduces through its roots system, that it only flowers to be beautiful.
It reproduces through seed. The flower ends in a seedpod, a bit similar to that of the poppy.
Oh, so the flower has a functional role too. I suppose nothing in nature is complete fantasy.
There’s NO fantasy in nature. It does what it has to to survive.
Wha a thought provoking haibun. The haiku at the end works very well.
Thanks Suzanne. The research was fascinating. I didn’t want to focus on the flower only.
I didn’t know that about the lotus. I have a dried one right here. It’s probably 10 years old. Glad I kept it. I’ll take a photo and blog it when I get my memory freshened up. (There’s a place in Gallipolis, Ohio, where they grow–or used to.)
I didn’t know any of it either until I did further research beyond it being held sacred by many countries and religions.