Melancholy Lily

I don’t know, in fact, whether this flower is a lily or not. I just love the way the phrase “Melancholy Lily” ululates its way down my tongue. And for me, this picture evokes a nameless nostalgia, even sadness.

In a mostly-unseen part of the garden behind a tall wall, this plant labors to produce vibrant blossoms. Half of them are withered already. The one open flower is scarred and past its prime. Nevertheless new buds are waiting, the irrepressible optimism of life coded into their very being. It takes true valor to courageously continue in the face of all transience.

Be brave and bloom, then. Even if no one is looking.