I Dare You to Love Me

Who knew that such a small thing could make such a bold statement?

I have always loved wild flowers. The perfectly symmetrical opulence of long stemmed roses and hot house orchids are amazing and gorgeous, but they don't have the same effect on me as a windblown patch of queen anne's lace on a spring day.

All of my favorite flowers have been wild flowers. As a girl daisies charmed me. I watched "You've Got Mail" and agreed completely when Meg Ryan called daisies the friendliest flowers. They would just tilt their face up to meet yours and smile their little sunny hearts at you. They stand for innocence.

A little later it was forget me nots. The clusters of blue creep crawling over everything, insinuating themselves over our fence, and through the flower bed whether we asked them to or not, they were sweet and shy but determined creatures. They speak of faithful love.

I now have an ardent love of poppies. They are wild and graceful and achingly lovely. I used to go out in the spring in Seattle and pick hundreds of them for my room. I would watch as they did this great little dance where they swirled their petals around themselves as the sun went down. They are as beautiful when they are closed as when they are in full bloom. Poppies are the flower of pleasure.

Innocence, pleasure, and faithful love. These are the qualities that my favorite flowers extoll. Not bad, and it makes me wonder if we are drawn to the flowers that speak about who we are, what we value, how we think, or what we want to say to others.

When I was looking up the meanings of my favorite flowers, I found that many blossoms don't just stand for something, but actually say things with their presence. Apparently some flowers can be quite eloquent.

Carnations say: "My heart aches for you"

Lavender "I like you only as a friend."

Gardenias whisper, "I love you in secret."

Holly asks, "Am I forgotten?"

Petunias say, "I am furious!"

Cedar "I live but for thee."

But for pure brashness none beat the Tiger lily which throws down a gauntlet saying "I dare you to love me!"

What's your favorite flower?

_originally posted on fb 10-24-08_