Heeding the Blooms' Call

 #DailyFlowers

 Even as the Pegasus scandal keeps playing out and countries respond with investigations, the ostrich's head is deeply buried in the sand and will remain in that cocoon for some more time; distractions are being built and brought forth -the Tokyo2020 Olympics are likely the biggest and most natural. A publishing house is made to toe the line, whether it truly will or not remains to be seen; even as regions the world over face the fury of over-gorged rivers and angry waters, life goes on...

To Goa in monsoons she went
From there riches sent
Left us all gaping
Even as she did some heat escaping
Beauties did she with camera capture
Many sent us into deep rapture
Flowers growing on the sand
Likely untended by human hands
Nature's wonders frozen in place
From within the camera showing such grace

It seems the call for red is still going strong
For willy-nilly, contributors are playing along
There's Udayji with Canna red bright
And Shashi with various blooms captured just right

 Back in focus are colored leaves
Nature's graciousness it weaves
Into parts that seldom attention attract
Gives them a beauty that has a massive impact

Flowers shiny, flowers bold
The brilliance of the colors holds
All of us in thrall and awe
The playing out of the natural law

Reds and whites have come to play
This combination makes for a good display
Orange Jasmine and the flame tree
Did such gorgeousness you ever see

Murray paniculata-Mock Orange-Orange Jasmine-कामिनी-कुन्ती &
Delonix regia-Flamboyant-Flame tree-गुलमोहर

The allamanda has been quite in discussion
Various colors have come up in quick succession
From the yellow to a purple deep to a pale pink
Natural beauty ever in sync

Allamanda cathartica-Yellow allamanda-Golden trumpet &
Allamanda branchetii-Purple allamanda 

A beautiful zinnia captured in the rain
Through an expert's lens, ours is the gain
What would he say were we to say
Our contributors sometimes go out of their way
To capture beauty and bring it here
So that all may view and in glories share
Zinnia deep, balsam tall
Heeding the blooms' call

My Co-Contributors

Shalini; UdayBaxi3; Shashi; Deepak, Shinjini & Vivek; Mahesh, Deepak, Ranjona, MiraNaik & Vivek; UdayBaxi; UdayBaxi; AdityadickySingh & Vee

 

Of Spice and Blooms Nice

 #DailyFlowers

 Ah, well, at last the eye allergy has eased and I can see the screen without waterfalls obscuring it. Life is strange! Nay, cancel that! Life's inhabitants are strange! There's a saying, power corrupts and its corollary is absolute power corrupts absolutely! Well, that showed up on the TL and everywhere else this week. With governments spying and being spied on, with trust going a-begging, with ragging/stalking coming to the fore. Wonder what world we live in.

Pegasus, of mythology came into light
But his coming was not too bright
The dark he brought
Secrets he sought
Mayhem he wrought
But he wasn't like this
A guardian he was meant to be
As a thief human hands set him free
To snoop, scoop and pry
Chats, data, connections to fry
Put them in the trackers bowl
Rent asunder things that were whole
Woe, 'tis a govt that doesn't trust
Upon unsuspecting citizens a look-eye thrust
What all does this dispensation fear
What sent it on the horrendous tear
Mayhaps, this is the 2nd coming
Time forecasters said was beckoning
When earth would upon itself turn
Change, change, burn and churn
In all this change stand some steadfast
Their resplendent colors offer a repast
A soothing to the tired mind
A calm that with the wind does chime
Flowers to the torments  rescue
In amazing, unbelievable hues

White, with the power to calm
To offer souls a cooling balm
Comes in sizes, shapes divine
Each one stands at the head of its line

Tridax procumbens-Coat button-Tridax daisy-कानफुली/पत्थरफोड़/संजीवनी 

Tabernaemontana divericata-Crepe Jasmine-दूधमोंगरा

The Intrepid explorer set off again
This time to enjoy Goa in the rain
Visited a garden full of spice
Brought a bloom so uncommon and very nice

 

There's something special about birthdays
Especially Mom and Dad's special days
One such came round last week
With two beautiful pix, we did into his life peek
Greetings for him did in pour
Even as frangipani and Ms. Blue evened the score

And a certain someone said Gimme Red!
That cry through the group did spread
Gorgeousness came out to mingle
Even as the old jingle did memories tingle

Shashi went to WV via country roads
Blooms he brought forth in loads
Purple and lavender joined the ride
Together forming a colorful tide

There's something special about the yellows
It is not just that they make the atmosphere mellow
They enliven every space
Full of aplomb, dance with grace
Lady Pink and White do participate
Flowers of all hues like to congregate

Honeybees on Yellow Gaillardia-पीली गैलार्डिया पर मधुमक्खियाँ &
Sphagneticola trilobata-Singapore Daisy-Creeping ox-eye-Yellow dots-wadelia-सिंगापुर डेज़ी

Wonderful gems he does daily bring
The timeline he sets to merrily sing
Whither from does he these beauties find
In sharing knowledge, spreading cheer, he is too kind
Many a name I have learned
Different varieties easily discerned
Blessed we were when he joined us all
His shares stand up vibrant and tall

Hamelia patens-Red head-Fire bush-Hummingbird Bush-हमेलिया

Gaillardia artistata -Great blanket flower-गैलार्डिया  &
Gaillardia Fanfare Blaze-Blanket flowers-गैलार्डिया

My Co-Contributors

June, Mahesh & Vee; Deepak &Vivek; Shashi;  UdayBaxi2, Vee, Shalini & Suki; UdayBaxi3, Deepak & Vivek; Shalini; Shalini & Vivek; Vivek & HippyMallu; Shalini & Shashi; Shashi, Subytweets & Suki; UdayBaxi3; Suki, Monica, Rachna & Ranjona; the last two sets: UdayBaxi3

Myriad Blooms do Merrily Dance

 #DailyFlowers

A post is long overdue! But the mind doesn't want to write and the eyes grimace at the computer's screen bright. The growing images pile says you do need to take a while, craft some verses, stanzas and rimes, spread cheer in these nerve wracking times. And then, there is the discipline ingrained, that insists it's time fingers and eyes strained to do what they need to 

Sunflower has a complicated botanical name
But does that stop its ever-growing fame
It tends to follow the sun
Angling itself and following its daily run
Wish we could hear the song it sings
As it soaks in wonders the sun does bring

Helianthus debilis-Beach sunflower-cucumberleaf sunflower

Oranges-yellows dominate the post
On the air they throw their boast
Among the pinks, reds we also do thrive
Stronger emotions we do drive
Your gardens and vases we bring alive
Our rhythms to hear you must strive
We sing, dance and merrily prance
You could join us if you take the chance
Mayhaps to lose the world's binding
And rejoice in Nature's glad winding

Cosmos caudatus-Wild cosmos-काॅसमाॅस & Cosmos sulphureus-Orange cosmos-Sulphur cosmos

Calliandra haematocephala-Red Powderpuff-stickpea-लाल पाउडर-पफ &
Cossandra infundibulifarmis-Fire-crackers-प्रियदर्शिनी-अबोली

The flower expert does more gems bring
Each of his shares makes the heart louder sing
Reds, whites, pinks, come into delight
Making for an eternally pleasing sight

Plumeria rubra-Red frangipani-Pagoda tree-लाल चम्पा &
Zephyranthus Candida-Zephyr Lily-Rain Lily-Peruvian Swamp Lily-सफेद जेफर लिली

Lagerstroemia indica-Common crape Myrtle-सावनी/फराश/ध्याती

A friend recently wrote in to say
She looks for the blog everyday
She has FOMO on the brain
It must really be a heavy strain
But then she says the blog is bliss
And she tries real hard not to miss
Therefore, it is the blogger's duty
To write verses that bring out nature's beauty
That all may pause, take a break and enjoy
Words and letters that for flowers do deploy
Their charms to be the revealing lamp
As myriad blooms put upon us their stamp

Life does serve some real shockers
That form full time blockers
A co-contributor has recently been dealt such a hand
Despite all that we know, it is hard to understand
From whither comes the strength to withstand
When a wrench has been thrown into the planned
Lovely blooms she brings forth to say
Love, hope, health should govern your day
We raise a wish and prayer to the overarching lord
To protect, shelter, heal with his umbrella and sword
In the meanwhile, brilliant colors do trip along
With their songs, they seek to make us strong

Shashi's ambit has grown vast
 For the flower hunt, his net is cast
Much ground does he cover
Newer blooms to discover
There was Mr. Rabbit missing the clover
He did wonder if it was an Alice-in-Wonderland do-over
A task the blogger has him assigned
He must visit the 9/11 memorial designed
The teardrop close-up must be awesome
Capture blooms that near that column blossom

 Whites say their tale is not yet told
Their beauty is a joy to behold
So, we give them their rightful due
Afterall, they are embodiements of the true hue

 

My Co-Contributors

UdayBaxi; Vee (aka Vishnu), Rachna, Shalini, Kirti, & Nilima; June, Deepak & HippyMallu; UdayBaxi (for the next 2); June, Shashi & Deepak; Uday Baxi; UdayBaxi & @StudyGeo;  Freda Aunty, Rachna & Alka; Kirti, Vivek, HippyMallu & Rachna; Shashi & Deepak; Vivek, Shalini, Sai & Vee; Vee, Vivek, Mala & Shashi; Mala & Mahesh; Mala, HippyMallu, Vee & Deepak; Mala; Shashi (both); Devlina, Kirti, Shalini & Aradhana

Whites do Delight

 #DailyFlowers

Yea! It is that time again! To put fingers to keyboard and send the post out and into the published wild. Every blog post is like a child needing to be dressed up and then let loose! So, this is likely to be a short post, because somewhere in the middle of all the colors the contributors decided to do whites! Why, I don't know but whites they put out.

White as a color is purity and light
White is also all colors together right
Nature's whites do immensely delight
Whether day or night, they are shining bright
Let's see what gems the others have shared
Coming from far and near, how they have fared
Whites may be alone or they may be tinged
Other colors newer harmonies bring
Delicate, light, gossamer sprite
Faeries and fancies taking to flight
Bold, sure, bunched or tall
These blooms do to all of us call

My Co-Contributors

June, Sai, Shashi, Vivek & Mahesh; Shalini, Vivek & Shashi; Vishnu, Mala, Shalini, Mahesh & Deepak

Happiness is Flowers...

 #DailyFlowers

Here I was thinking it was an easy week and I would be able to put a post out on Monday, too. But life had other ideas. Sometimes it just trips you into a swirly-gig, at others it just completely yanks the ground from under you. Monday was such a day, the ground was not just yanked, it also created a deep pit that was difficult to climb out of and left at least 6 of us close friends asking the oft heard question: how many more, how many more do we have to lose? And if that wasn't enough, the state covered itself in resounding glory. Its actions sent a frail 84-year-old Parkinson's sufferer to death! And, it will resound maybe for a day or two and then all will settle down till the next episode. And that is what life has been reduced to. Hardy's words come to mind, "Happiness is but an occasional episode in the general drama of pain"!

Even the beautiful flowers that dot my TL couldn't cut through this gloom, so I opted not to write. But there is a discipline that says the post must go up, so:

Here we are, fingers on keyboard dancing
Letters, words they come in prancing
You are late, we have been made to wait
Come on, come on, let's get to the gate
Flowers are a-waiting, their lines to move
Put the bad mood away and let's begin to groove
In the time that has passed, flower pix  have been amassed
Their beauty very little in nature does surpass
From near and far, closer and wider
Come in buds and blooms all with a rider
Hurry, hurry, put us up
Let's be the center of all the gupshup!

Shalini shared pix of the Brahma Kamal, a flower that is said to bloom only for one night in the entire year. This comes from a friend's daughter's balcony. In a country as vast as ours, flowers are known by different names, Brahma Kamal or the Star of Bethlehem (as Katie says)

 Whether a kamal or a star
This resounds from afar
Its beauty does us in pull
Its blooms are indeed powerful
Worshiped and adored
It divinity has scored
Creator given, God granted
Blessings galore wherever planted

 There was a mention of a solitary bloom
Like a sentinel, it stood tall amidst the gloom
References to Wordsworth also came into play
In front of him, the blogger's a tiny piece of clay
Greens, whites and pinks did their color in scatter
These pix did set up quite a chatter

This blog and #DailyFlowers group are truly blessed
We have gained a member who deep knowledge does possess
Names of blooms we struggled to find
Are presented neatly defined
What more can we say
We adore the blooms Uday-ji sends out each day

Mimusops elengi-Medlar-Spanish Cherry-Bullet Woods-मौलश्री 

 

Nerium-Oleander-कनेर

Spanish Latana & Wild Latana

Shashi brought forth a hibiscus spread
There were earlier featured in another thread
From standard red to pinks, peaches, and whites
To yellows, double tones and many with stripes
A flower so humble, yet with so much power
Blooms taken off to anoint the lord's bower

 Precious blooms coming from a distance
Tales of the gardeners' persistence
Lovingly shared to brighten the timeline
Bringing hope, love, color, almost a life-line

Nature's having a lot of fun
Wherever you look flowers are having a run
Folks are learning to admire the lot
Even as they go around capturing them in shots

Then came in a beautiful cardinal
Perched on a bush, throwing his song on the air
That made for a lovely serenade for Shalini, the fair
Whether Cardinals and Bishops were allowed so to do
Was a question that Vivek brought through
That is for the reader and the cardinal to decide
Should those rules to the avian world be applied
Meanwhile, there are sunflowers aplenty
Holding up their heads maybe twenty by twenty

My Co-Contributors

@poeticgooner; Mahesh & Vishnu (aka Vee); Shalini & Katherine; Shalini & Katherine; Uday-ji; Uday-ji3; Uday-ji & Mahesh; Shashi; Mala;  Sai, Vivek, Deepak & Shashi; Mahesh, Shashi & June; Shalini, Shashi & Vivek