I was recently in a group that toured the Enid Symphony Center, which is housed in an old Masonic Lodge building, resplendent in its design. The tour was led by music and executive director Douglas Newell, who offered some wonderful insights about the building, preservation, community involvement, and art in its many forms. In the Ballroom Theatre, four murals illustrate William Morris’s poem “Flora,” a beautiful little homage to the Roman goddess of plants, flowers, and fertility.
I am the handmaid of the earth,
I broider fair her glorious gown,
And deck her on her days of mirth
With many a garland of renown.
And while Earth’s little ones are fain
And play about the Mother’s hem
I scatter every gift I gain
From sun and wind to gladden them.
Morris is probably more known as a textile artist, but he did write some lovely poems, such as this one. The four murals in the Ballroom each depict two lines of the poem.
Visit Enid and see this wonderful building, go to an event, and definitely talk to Maestro Newell, who will brighten your day, as will viewing this poem there.
–Shaun Perkins
What other Oklahoma buildings are full of this kind of poetry? Let me know! Fill out the form below.
Rural Oklahoma Museum of Poetry 