Violets by Mossy Stones

One of the good things I remember about my schooling in a British colony...[perhaps in another posting I'll deal with some
of the idiocies in my colonial brain washing]...was some of the poems learnt and sometimes recited. Although I've forgotten
just about everything else about the poem in question, I remember Wordsworth in it, describing a woman of great
quality, but who was likely to live her life, unknown...as a "violet by a mossy stone". I hope, I never make the mistake of
confusing the quality of a person, with his or her notoriety...and so, that phrase describes beautifully, most of the people who have impressed or inspired me, in my life...people who bloom beautifully, whatever their lot in life may be, without
being warped by "letting ambition turn them ugly"...[a phrase from an unfinished poem of mine]. I've never had an "idol" in
my life,or been impressed by celebrity. I suppose that is because I've observed for too long, the compromises and the
ruthless moves, usually involved in finding fame, or acquiring empires...as I live in a world where celebrity and those who
have "made it", dominate our newspapers and television screens. Apart from a handful of "well knowns" like Ghandi and
Mandela, the people who impress me have qualities, such as: a natural sweetness, an irrepressible sense of humour, a
graceful bravery, through many hardships, and much evidence of living from their authentic, rather than false selves...
So...here's to my "violets by mossy stones"...may they continue...to bloom long and beautifully! Quester.