Higher Hibiscus Harmonies

 #DailyFlowers

Time for another post to go up and we feature once again one of the more popular flowers, that bloom everywhere and in a wide varietal from the parent genus. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, aka, China Rose, aka its many varietal names. Colors known and unknown, common and lesser seen, spidery, double layered and more. 

As a little girl this flower I met
A plant full of buds and blooms
Against the bamboo fence reds were set
Leaping towards the sky as far as it could get
Anon, came ladies not too old
With a move so sneaky yet so bold
The flower vanished from the stem
Said I to my Dad, stop them, stop them!
My Dad, he shook his head
Drawing me to one side he said
The flower goes as offering to the Divine
Few flowers have this opportunity sublime
A child I was, I did not agree
That somebody should loot my blooming tree
Set I the guard to keep his eagle eye
Allow the reds to climb to the sky
Months flew by and in came the Goddess
Went I to put my claim and seek redress
The old priest was erudite and learned
He knew my plaint was not to be scorned
He told me Jaba was the queen
Without it the Goddess couldn't be seen
More than jewels, gems and gold
The hibiscus did the Goddess dear hold
With blessings did she them return
It needed a open heart to discern
Abundance, goodness and joy that she sent
Allowed our energies to be well spent
I met it again years later
Such was the goodness of its creator
My cousin's garden it did grace
Like a sentinel, near the gate it held its place

Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis/China Rose/Jaba

I was in class 9 when  I met it again
A flower gave up its life for us to knowledge gain
The botany teacher identified its various parts
Then she made us take it all apart!
Stamen, pistil, pollen, filament, anther, sepal, petal
Terms that we needed to in our brains settle
She said, I need the flower and its parts sketched
Properly outlined, its inner workings duly etched
The petal was flattened on paper
A light pencil dancing around it was the shaper
Much respect did we for this lil bloom achieve
Not just a beauty, in cross-pollinating  its role we did perceive

 

Well, this group's co-contributors are a great lot, if you didn't know that already! They sometimes do my work for me, here is a beautiful verse by Shalini; Sai jumped in with his take, and i was left to respond:

Hibiscus you asked,
Hibiscus I got.
And the bonus?
Look at the spot!
It's verdant and green
With the Lord within
Tambdisurla is the place
Went to great lengths to explain
A flower for #DailyFlowers
As this is a group that showers
Blessings through pictures
Without strictures :)

 Praises ain't enough
For the lines woven
Into a tapestry
That was sewn
For the heavens

 The poet has spoken
What more should be said
Offerings to the lord have been made
Blessings recd. Wishes don't need to be read

Pinks, they always delight
With their many hues, are a calming sight
As with other flowers, they to tend to dominate
What kind of nature's design is this we are left to ruminate

Hibiscus comes from far and wide
On its unique harmony it does ride
Colors rich, colors soothing
Their presence leaves no chance for brooding
But a question to mind does come
Wherewithal the need to play with nature's rule of thumb
Dissatisfied with colors already present
Grafting is used to create hues more effervescent
Why this overwhelming need to tinker with nature
Do we think our improvisations are major
A degree of beauty and awe does spring
As nature allows us to cut into her swing

 

But it is the glorious original red
That turns all our heads
Whether sprouting on a bush
Against the wall, growing in a rush
A bud and bloom-laden tree
Setting off an elemental red spree
Add into it a peach delicate
Thin filament-like petals make us hesitate
We would like to touch and feel
To convince ourselves they are real
The Hibiscus is truly majestic
Its power almost magnetic
It glues us to its side
For overarching beauty it is a guide

 

My Co-Contributors

Alka (via her daughter Tanvi), BinaDi, & Shalini; Anjali, Shalini & Vivek; Shalini & Sai; UdayBaxi, Rachna & Vee; Vivek, Anjali & UdayBaxi; Anjali, UdayBaxi, June, Kuku Aunty & PoeticGooner; Sai, UdayBaxi, Anjali & Kuku Aunty; Anjali, Shinjini & UdayBaxi; Sai, Shashi & Shinji