Cocklebur
Y. Naraki
There is comfort in seeds. It is the end of January, I have followed the advice of our dear friend Debra and have retreated from online media noises. Coincidentally I received a presumptuous, but not unwelcome publication from Richters through the actual mail. It is a small but densely informative pamphlet. Wrapped up in one of my Mamgu’s Welsh wool blankets, I cocoon myself against winter, against politics, celebrities and disease hysteria. Muttering the list of names in the Richters’ seed catalogue, I cocoon myself and plan for spring.
Slowly working through from Korean Angelica to Zuta Levana, there is a world of herbs and spices to grow. We do not plant Cocklebur. Cocklebur, or Xanthum, is a brash annual, the seed heads clutch desperately at anything that passes. Like politicians and diseases it endures despite our disdain but serves a purpose in the ecosystem. I look at this photograph, snuggle deeper into my blanket cocoon, and imagine the spiky burrs clinging to the arses of presidents, senators, premiers and MPs. Even Cocklebur has its uses.
Blog photograph copyrighted to the photographer and used with permission by utata.org. All photographs used on utata.org are stored on flickr.com and are obtained via the flickr API. Text is copyrighted to the author, Rachel Irving and is used with permission by utata.org. Please see Show and Share Your Work
