Macalla

Flower by ANONYMOUS

I took this picture during a stroll at the Shanghai Botanical Garden last week.  I was struck by how vulnerable, yet beautiful, this sprig of flowers was as it grew in a hostile location.  These flowers are making a home in a place where they are not welcome, nor expected.  For the moment, they are thriving.  They are providing startling beauty.  I'm amazed at the tenacity of new life to emerge even in the cracks of a busy and drab sidewalk!

Yet the flowers in this home are not comfortable, or safe - what kind of root system do these flowers have to develop to nourish themselves?  How do they have to change to be able to survive in this hostile concrete setting?  At any second, a foot could come along and snuff them out. Perhaps their beauty is heightened because of how precarious the blooms are in this location.  No moment can be taken for granted.