The Tallest Poppy

My poppy obsession is in full effect. Whenever poppies (anemones) are available, I buy them. Period. No questions asked. I must have them. Their spindly stems and paper-thin petals don’t last long, but what a show they put on! They are happiness in color form — those saturated and vibrant blooms? Girl, please, that red? Come ‘on. Incredible.

Perhaps I’m equally as infatuated with their medicinal properties, and their Wizard of Oz cinematic debut. The simple poppy has long been used as a painkiller and sedative. The opium in the plant can be used as a powerful narcotic whose derivatives include morphine, codeine, heroin, and oxycodone. There is something both dangerous and beautiful about this sweet flower 🌺. Its properties are magnetic and dreamy; its blooms are stunning yet simple, and its history is heartbreaking and hopeful.

The poppy has been used as a symbol of remembrance for more than 100 years. Adopted after WW1 as an emblem of respect for those who died in the war, the hardy yet delicate flower was a common plant found on the Western Front. Its meaning and use have changed over time, and some believe that the bloom also represents a glorification of war and violence against Indigenous populations. It has a complicated history, as most things do—but on a fine spring day, when those vibrant colors are on display, I see it as a testament to the bounty that is unfolding as the season unfurls its mighty harvest.