Beauty Wins (Part Two of So Much Beautiful)

Featured Images by Stephanie Hogue

By Visit Venutra

  Ventura is filled with talented people who see this world in a beautiful, inspiring, uplifting way. And our world — here in Ventura and in places far beyond — remains filled with beauty and light. Lovely paintings, lovely poems, lovely songs. Lovely moments and gestures. As simple as a hand reaching down, or a lone bagpiper marching down an empty Glasgow street. It is good to remember the beautiful. So now and again we’re doing a simple thing. A snippet of beauty here, a snippet of beauty there. From Ventura. And from around the world. Because we are all in this together. And we are all elevated by beauty. So here is some beautiful courtesy of Ventura photographer Stephanie Hogue, co-owner of Latitudes Fine Art Gallery, possessor of a gifted and lovely artistic eye, and passionate documenter of things that take our breath away. And we can always use a deep breath of that.   And, since it’s a big world, a snippet of beautiful from the world beyond, perhaps with these challenging times in mind. Thank you, Pablo Neruda … IN THE TIME OF QUIET No one’s told the daffodils about the pause to Spring And no one’s told the birds to roost and asked them not to sing No one’s asked the lazy bee to cease his bumbling round And no one’s stopped the bright green shoots emerging through the ground No one’s told the sap to rest, deep within the wood And stop the sleepy trees from waking, wreathed about in bud No one’s told the sky to douse its brightest shades of blue And stop the scudding clouds from puffing headlong into view No one’s asked the lambs to still the springs beneath their feet, To stop their rapid rush and quell each joyful bleat No one’s told the stream to halt its gurgle or its flow And warned the playful breezes, not to gust and blow No one’s asked the raindrops not to fall upon the earth And fail to quench the soil in the season of rebirth No one’s locked the sun down, or dimmed the shimmer of the moon And even in the darkest night, the stars are still immune Remember what you value, remember who is dear Close the doors to danger and keep your family near In the quiet all around us take the time to sit and stare And wonder at the glory unfurling everywhere Look towards the future, after the ordeal And keep faith in Mother Nature’s power and will to heal.