Flora virus against Coronavirus in my garden

The last winter (2019-20) was so mild that all my geraniums outside survived beautifully and were in full blossom much earlier than usual. The entire lot of panicky human beings is scared of climate warming but not all other living beings. Others adjust themselves to vagaries of nature while humans fight it.

The tulip bulbs which have been losing their potency over the years roused deep down in the earth’s smugness. Even the tiniest ones protruded as fast and tall as their newly planted colleagues. In the company of other colourful plants they played a glorious symphony to welcome a sunny unusually rain-free warm spring this year.

Nine varieties of zealous roses, interspersed among the tulips, seem to have sensed the imminent demise of the tulips. They quickly raised their heads as if jealous of the beauty near them. Before they overpowered them the first of the three azaleas took over the show. Passers-by seem to soak up the calmness it radiated. The other two waited their turn and revealed their charm two weeks later, one after the other. 

Now rhododendrons have taken over the show.

The rose bushes lost their patience. They grew taller and bigger than ever before. With tulips gone, they could not help but compete with each other each with its own magnificent blossom. Judging from the relative length of admiring look of passers-by two topped the competition. Of the two winners, the pastel rose is a head above the others but the distinctive colour of the runner-up arouses a wow in everyone who witnesses its glory.

What a miraculous antidote, this flora-virus, to outdo the coronavirus pandemic that has choked individuals, families, communities, countries and the people of the entire world. I wonder if human beings could relearn and retain the old lesson of respecting nature by becoming part of it! However, I am saddened that in a few months it will be forgotten. Every nation and its leaders are pushing hard to enable human beings to strengthen its dominance over nature by arrogantly resuming and accelerating their activities and continuing to steal from nature even more just to satisfy their own greed and gratification. Humans refuse to follow the wise people, past and present, who continue to says or sing: “ego or I-ness is a grave disease” worse than any coronavirus. Humans give “the world its saddest sound”.

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