The song of the garden

As I stroll through my garden now in full bloom, it offers an endless melody of serenity and happiness during these times of conflict and war. The red and yellow cannas nod gracefully, wishing me good morning, while the night queen wants me to acknowledge its fragrance. Vying with these are the violet butterfly pea flowers, and on the far side, the allamanda with its dark, shady peach-hued florets bobs up and down. A little further is the magnificent cape jasmine shedding away its last few flowers. Right next to the compound, clinging ferociously are the orange, pink, and white bougainvillea flora telling you, “Yes, I am pretty flamboyant, but mind you, I have a thorny side too.” The frontal bamboos drip small goblets of dew that are left clinging to their leaves. Their green foliage throughout the year rejuvenates me time and again, no matter what time of day or month it is.

The greenery of the house pine and plumeria provides quietness and calmness. The white thunbergia blooms is an everyday waver, while the red- and white-blended ixora florets on the far end is moody and decide to show off occasionally. The orange, white, red, pink, and yellow hibiscuses are waiting for the sun to shine and wake them, while just behind them, sunflowers are happily showing their uplifting faces to the rising sun. The early butterflies are capriciously flitting around the sunflowers as they wait eagerly for the other buds in the garden to bloom. Along the grill here and there, the jasmine is telling me to wait till twilight to begin its perfumed journey. Together with this floral bouquet, my variegated crotons, succulents, and cacti gather around to tell me, “We are nice-looking too.” Not to be left alone, the banana plant, the sapota plant, the papaya tree, the gooseberry tree, and the guava tree are reminding me that they, unlike the pretty blossoms, provide delicacies. Some of these are for me, and some are for the squirrels who have become like monkeys running around gathering whatever they can, while the sunbirds and the flower peckers are made to do with what exists.