The Matilija poppy grows wild by the highway in Southern California, exposing itself in glorious fields of white and yellow, petals bent and wrinkled like crepe paper, a golden orb at its heart. There is a kind of daring offered in the crinkly petals…touch me, touch me, I look frail, but I am strong. If you are hungry, my heart offers nourishment.
What an interesting message from this simple blossom. It inspired me to think of my own body, a bit wrinkled, and not as strong as I would like it to be, but with a well of life experience ready to share in a way I never could have as my younger self.