Papavere

A friend once told me that poppies bloom in full

for only a few days.

Their colored pedals crumpled within,

they release them open,

then their delicate paper pedals fall to the earth.

What remains are the wide round stamen,

standing strong in all it’s nakedness.

Such a striking pose captures me every time.

I can’t even pass one with out thinking

That is one bold flower.

week 25. Centering

I always seem to notice poppies when I see them in gardens. I just love the stark graphic nature of them, even when all the pedals fall off and you are left with the long green stems with their rounded ball at the end. When I look at the remains of what was once a beautiful flower I think about how it is that they can stand so tall, naked and exposed like that. The center part seems to set poppies apart form many other species. Few flower have such a large complex stamen. Flowers with such unique components are just so striking. Maybe that’s why I like Poppies so much, to me, their unique centers remind me that even paired down, its what remains in the center that matters most.