Michaelmas term 2023 ends this week and so does “A Delicate Bloom of Learning.” As a final post, I want to call to mind all things ephemeral and fragile: Love that is shattered by a single glance. A Substack newsletter that disappears after a single unsubscribe or edgy comment. A live YouTube stream of a singer, camera pointed at the ceiling, who has just one listener out of an audience of billions and then none. All the things that come into being, ever so briefly, and perish—delicate blooms.
The closing lyrics of Prince's "Sometimes it snows in April" come to mind:
"All good things, they say, never last
And love, it isn't love until it's past"
Enjoy the reset Lynn
Truly sad to see this wonderful project come to an end, Lynn! I’ve very much enjoyed your work. Hoping more to come in some other mode, soon!
I look forward to the delicate blooms of 2024....
Lovely.