“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” (Henry David Thoreau)
A bouquet is more than a bunch of flowers stuffed in a jar. The bouquet pictured is comprised largely of what many see as weeds, plucked from neglected margins. Others see wildflowers, beautiful with varied colors and textures.
A bouquet is a purposeful arrangement of individual and diverse flowers picked and placed mindfully and with intent. A bouquet is vibrant and beautiful because of the structures and elements combined in the whole. It is a composition, not a single utterance.
A bouquet is a Gift to be given.
wild blooms, household jarred
bear witness at the table
everyone belongs
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Charli Mills, of Carrot Ranch, has prompted her wranglers this week to look at bouquets. “June 14, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story that includes a bouquet. You can explore the meaning of the word or gather a bunch of flowers. Go where the prompt leads.” I have been led to a haibun.
ShiftnShake 
That is a wonderful description of a bouquet, D. I’d not thought of it in such detail. “a purposeful arrangement picked and placed mindfully and with intent” is more than I had considered – an interesting perspective, thank you.
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Ah, thank you, Norah. I don’t think these 99 words that I picked and placed convey all that I wanted, but I suppose any bouquet is a paltry imitation of their rootstocks.
You know, I once lived in a country that told the powerful myth of the mixed bouquet, its beauty and strength in its diversity. I fear that now that country speaks of monochromatic bunches of mums stuffed flat like a crewcut in crude vases.
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Diversity it seems these days is a word both liked and feared.
It will take those with creative souls to brighten the whole bunch up while standing tall.
Nice haibun!
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Thanks for the read, and the wise words.
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This is a beautiful description of a bouquet. I love the idea of a bouquet of weed flowers. I makes me think of Disney’s Alice in Wonderland when the flowers call Alice a weed. My favourite animated film.
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Ha! Thanks. I didn’t have that connection in mind but I like it. I try always to have a bouquet out, whatever’s available.
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Beautiful – the bouquet and your thoughts.
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Thank you.
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What a beautiful thought.
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Thank you.
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I love the bouquet and the way you think! 😀 ❤
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Thank you.
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Invitation is the best bouquet. This is a table I want to sit around!
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You can have yer flowers and eat them too.
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Ha! I’ll take some nasturtiums, then!
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