It's September once again. Weather slowly becomes colder through the days in a tropical country I am in. Festivities are just around the corner as old and young folks await Christmas season. Presents abound and so are blooms. We often think about Poinsettia as a symbol. But as I look into my once lush garden, I think about one of my favorite flowers: forget-me-not.
Well, I said "once-lush garden" because I used to have lots of flowering plants in it. However, they got washed away by flash floods in September 2006. Since then, I put the green thumb in me on the backseat. Maybe I was traumatized seeing those placid petals I took care of regularly, submerged in bracky waters of overflowing rivers and dams.
Now, all I have are memories of my forget-me-nots. I had them in lilac and blue. Coincidentally, they are among the birth flowers of September, together with aster and morning glory. They are natural beauties - small and unassuming yet so photogenic. I loved how refreshing they look as they get sun-kissed in the morning. Such a lovely sight to behold as I sip my first cup of coffee. "God must really love me for showering my home with sublime angiosperm winsomeness", was what kept coming into my head when I stare at them. The joy they gave me back then helped me anchor my sanity in the midst of a tumultuous stance.
Botanically speaking, forget-me-nots belong to genus Myosotis in the family Boraginaceae which has 50 species. Myosotis is the Latin term for "mouse ear" because it's leaves have that shape. Flowers have flat petals with five lobes and yellow or white centers. They usually come in blue, lilac, pink or white colors. Flower buds are purple. Moist habitats with moderate sunlight are their preference. In addition, it is the state flower of Alaska, particularly Myosotis alpestris.
The Victorians used flowers as a symbol to express their feeling. We still do this in prevalence at the present times. Forget-me-not connotes true love and memories. What a catchy name to depict such meaning!
On top of mesmerizing beauty in its simplicity, forget-me-nots often raise curiosity behind the name. I was, and still am. Here are some of the myths why it is called as such:
a. In a German legend, it was mentioned that when God finished naming all plants, one was left unnamed. Suddenly, a tiny voice was heard saying "forget me not, O Lord!".
b. Another legend stated that whoever wore this flower wouldn't be forgotten by his or her lover. Maybe this is related to the 15th century practice where women wear these flowers when their lovers went away.
c. There was an archangel in heaven who fell in love with a mortal woman. Forbidden love. So what the woman did was, she planted forget-me-nots in all corners of the world. The angel went down to the earth and helped her with planting. They were, from then on, permitted into heaven as immortals.
d. Since forget-me-nots are most commonly seen in sky blue color, it was correlated to Christian belief. The blue cloak which Virgin Mary is often pictured in, together with her blue eyes, are associated with the flower. Christ sitting on Mary's lap as a child, was said to have wished there were some way to make everyone see the blue in her eyes, therefore used forget-me-not flower to accomplish this.
e. A knight was picking flowers beside Danube river. He was going to give them to her loved one. But he fell into it and strong currents swept him away while crying out for her to "forget me not" until he was nowhere to be found.
f. The flower has a very unpleasant taste that anybody who would dare taste it won't forget the experience. Thus, the name.
I found this video telling a story behind forget-me-not flower's role in masonry. Infallibly interesting, since history at the time of Hitler's can never be dull.
I will always have a fascination with this creation - it's delicateness that exudes inexplicable charm. So simple that when you see them in a large garden full of blooms, they won't attract immediate attention. In fact, it is easy to overlook them among bigger and more vibrant flowers. Yet when you look at it closely, it has a uniqueness quite not easily forgotten.
This attribute spells humility for me. Nowadays, as I sip coffee in the morning, I don't get to see my forget-me-nots in the garden anymore. But they are in my memory, reminding me to be humble. Everything we have now is momentary. They can go down the drain without a warning, just like raging currents of flash floods I experienced six years ago in September. However, life is still a beautiful putt on the seventh hole. Just like the courageous brethren of masonry, we can inspire others, revolutionize the world, or brighten a dark era in our lives through modest and lucid ways like the forget-me-not flower.
No comments:
Post a Comment