dual personalities

As this was an unpleasantly frenzied week and I am not someone who manages frenzy with graceful ease, I am rewarding myself for getting through it by enjoying some beautiful things and reminding myself how much I have to be grateful for — with a little help from Rupert Brooke.

White plates and cups, clean-gleaming,
Ringed with blue lines; and feathery, faery dust;

Wet roofs, beneath the lamp-light; the strong crust
Of friendly bread; and many-tasting food;
Rainbows; and the blue bitter smoke of wood;
And radiant raindrops couching in cool flowers;
And flowers themselves, that sway through sunny hours,
Dreaming of moths that drink them under the moon;

Then, the cool kindliness of sheets, that soon
Smooth away trouble; and the rough male kiss
Of blankets; grainy wood; live hair that is
Shining and free; blue-massing clouds…

The benison of hot water; furs to touch;
The good smell of old clothes; and other such–
The comfortable smell of friendly fingers,
Hair’s fragrance, and the musty reek that lingers
About dead leaves and last year’s ferns. . . .

Poor Rupert never had the chance to have children so he left them out, but really, what is better than happy children (suitably armed, of course)?

Come to think of it, there are a lot of things that I love and that make me happy. This post may have to continue tomorrow. In the meantime, what do you love?

[a note about the pictures: I got the top one on pinterest; I downloaded the bluebell wood picture ages ago and unfortunately have no source; and the fall wood is from here via google search. The rest are mine]