Paideia: Friday Flowers: Blueberry Thrill

Viola Wittrockiana: Blueberry Thrill Pansies

Oh, the Places You'll Go! (Stanzas 1-4)
(By Dr. Seuss)

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

Today marks the birth date of Theodor Seuss Geisel, born March 2, 1904.

In terms of profound and beautiful verse, it's hard to put his works alongside those of Emily Dickinson or Elizabeth Bishop, but these narrative poems, with their engaging rhymes and imaginative stories, had a profound impact upon my development as a storyteller and poet. As a child, I had committed to memory a few of my favorite works. They planted within me a lifelong love for reading and reciting.

So, I actually have no problem celebrating Dr. Seuss as one of the greatest of American poets. ;-)

Viola Wittrockiana: A field of pansies

As regards the pansies, they've always reminded me of Dr. Seuss' creatures, with expressive "faces" and vibrant, multihued colors. Maybe it's an association that was developed in childhood. Nevertheless, in my imagination, pansies are the official flowers of Whoville.

So, let's celebrate the flights of imagination, full of beauty and play, that Dr. Seuss and the delightful pansy have brought to us over the years.