The wind had made the heavily crowned peonies bow to the ground. I found them in the evening, with raindrops still attached. Carrying the freshness of the day, the clouds that passed in slow succession over the afternoon sky, the birds’ call of love and the sweet sorrow of ephemeral beauty. Now in the blue vase, vivid and regal, emanating a timeless presence that reminds me of classical paintings and rubenesque maidens. I’m amazed by their stillness. It quietens my heartbeats when I pass by. It makes me stop and stare. Feel something akin to peace.  A quieting of thoughts. The shadow of a smile. Unseen. They steal a moment from the passing of hours and days, without end, and in that moment I am fully present. I am nowhere else.